


Fool Me

by LazyLix89



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-26 20:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 40,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2665196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyLix89/pseuds/LazyLix89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is based on the suggestion/request for Camila and Lauren to be set up on a blind date then plan revenge on their friends by pretending it worked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Fool Me**

**Chapter One**

 

“What did you say the name of the band was again?” Camila asks her best friend, Dinah, as she peeks at her reflection in the mirror and shifts her casual, light blue dress so it sits snugly in place. 

 

“Unhinged Destiny. I think Normani's cousin used to work with the guy who plays bass for the band. They just released an EP. They may be looking for some help with PR,” Dinah explains casually while picking out a lip gloss from her seemingly bottomless purse. 

 

Camila pauses applying eyeliner to look over at the other woman skeptically.

 

“Please tell me you didn't promise them anything. We've been over this before, Dinah...” 

 

“Relax, sheesh. They don't know anything about you showing up. And like you keep reminding us every other day...you're only an assistant. Nobody recognizes you as a talent scout.” 

 

“As they shouldn't. I'm strictly a behind-the-scenes operator. We handle more stress for less pay, so it's important to differentiate,” Camila defends, hoping they can soon drop the subject and move on to a night out that will help her forget the number of hairs she has carelessly ripped out of her head at work this week alone. 

 

“Then forget about business tonight. Let's see what we can do about your personal life,” Dinah suggests with a wink. 

 

“Oh no, not this again. You're relentless...” Camila accuses before putting the finishing touches on her makeup and double checking she has the two tickets Dinah had put her in charge of holding. 

 

“You'll thank me one day,” Dinah replies confidently as they head out of Camila' apartment and towards Dinah's car. 

 

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, a stubborn Lauren is trying to get out of her plans to go to the same concert with her roommate, Normani.

 

“I've never even heard of the band,” she protests while sitting back on their couch and propping her feet up on the coffee table. 

 

“Since when have you been picky about music? We used to go to these shows almost every week and you didn't know half of those bands either,” Normani argues back. 

 

“That was before. Now I finally have a story coming together for my novel and I use the quiet time when you go out to work on it,” Lauren reveals, impatient about getting back to brainstorming and outlining since her day job kept her away from it for most of the week. 

 

“Your story isn't going anywhere. I promise to give you peace and quiet all day tomorrow. Just come out tonight and let yourself have a good time, okay? You deserve it,” Normani reasons. 

“Fine, but we're taking my car. If they're a flop, I'm out,” she announces, pushing herself up off the couch and grabbing her leather jacket from its hook by the door. 

 

“You're gonna wear that?” Normani looks over her roommate's ripped jeans and Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt with concern. 

 

“Mmmhmm, take it or leave it,” Lauren challenges, reaching into the pocket for her keys and leaving out the door without checking whether Normani was following behind her.

 

When Camila and Dinah arrive at the venue there's a line wrapped around the building and they follow it until they find the end.

 

“Quite a crowd for an unknown band,” Camila observes, genuinely surprised. 

 

“Maybe someone in the group has a big family like mine,” Dinah jokes and Camila laughs, although noting there weren't a ton of people in line who _looked_ related. 

 

“Have you heard from Normani? I hope she can find parking. Maybe we should have picked her up...” Camila trails off as she spots their mutual friend from a distance. Oddly, she doesn't appear to be alone.

 

She is about to wave at her friend and their guest when she notices Normani's phone is pressed to her ear from the sidewalk across the street and Dinah's phone begins to ring shortly after. A frown appears on Dinah's face during their conversation, so when she hangs up Camila is visibly worried.

 

“What's wrong?” 

 

“Normani forgot her and her roommate's ticket. Do you mind saving spots for us?” 

 

“Wait, you're leaving, too?” 

 

Dinah nods and from over her shoulder she sees the woman who had been standing behind Normani approaching them.

 

“I can get us back faster because you know she hasn't been around the city as long. You don't mind, right?” 

 

Camila opens her mouth to explain that she actually does mind, but doesn't get a chance to express herself before the woman who she has just learned is Normani's roommate is standing beside her and Dinah is waving goodbye as she walks away.

 

“Where's Normani? I thought she was right behind me,” Lauren wonders, looking over at her new companion, clearly confused. 

 

“Dinah said Normani forgot your tickets. Didn't she tell you they were going back to get them?”

 

Lauren shakes her head.

 

“I overheard her telling Dinah on the phone that she thought we had the wrong parking pass. She asked her to verify what color you had, so I figured she left to check?” 

Camila brought her hand up to her forehead and leaned against the building behind her, letting her head hit it a couple times for effect. 'Stupid, stupid' she mumbled, not caring how crazy she must look to this complete stranger.

 

“Um...? Are you alright?” Lauren asked, flipping her hair nervously out of habit. 

 

Camila looked over into enticing green eyes and let out a deep sigh.

 

“We've been set up,” she announces as she reaches into her purse to pull out their tickets because the line has begun to move. “Did you ever see the other tickets?” 

 

Lauren thinks about it for a moment and realizes Normani actually never did show her any tickets.

 

“No,” she admits, certain Camila is correct about their friends' scheming. “I'm sorry,” she adds, not sure what else to say as she takes a first good look at the other woman who is apparently supposed to be her date.

 

“It's not your fault. This is a typical Dinah move. I'm Camila, by the way.” She reaches out to shake the other woman's hand as the line slowly continues to move forward. 

 

“I'm Lauren,” she replies, returning the gesture. “Do you like the band that's playing tonight?” Lauren continues, hoping the small talk will make it less awkward. 

 

“I don't know them, honestly.”

 

They are near the door at this point and Lauren makes a quick decision to step out of line and gently pull Camila with her.

 

“Neither do I. So I take it you won't mind if we skip the show?” Lauren assumes, leading them in the direction of where her car is parked.

 

“Not really,” Camila agrees. 

 

She has no idea where Lauren is taking them when they get into the car, but she doesn't imagine either of her friends would set her up with a serial killer, so she trusts her for the time being. When they pull over ten minutes later Camila reads the sign on the building next to them. It says 'Grub Pub'.

 

“Don't be fulled by the name. They serve one of the best burgers I've ever had and they cut their own fries. I wouldn't recommend the beer on draft though. It tends to taste like it's watered down,” Lauren explains before removing her key from the ignition and getting out of her car. 

 

Camila follows Lauren into the pub and only hesitates a little when she completely ignores and walks beyond the 'please wait to be seated' sign. They end up at a booth in the back and Lauren hands her a menu that she had grabbed off the counter at the bar on the way. She barely has any time to look it over before a large guy with a bald head and wearing green flannel approaches them.

 

“Can I get the usual for you then, Laur,” he asks, scribbling a note on his order pad without waiting for her response. 

 

“You got it. She might need a minute though,” Lauren replies while gesturing toward Camila. 

 

“Nah, you can just give me what she's having,” Camila requests, folding the menu shut and not bothering with it. 

 

“Coming right up,” the waiter agrees before going through the 'employees only' door and leaving them alone again. 

 

“That was brave of you,” Lauren teases, referring to the blind order.

 

“I'm sure whatever you usually have is good,” Camila offers with a shrug. 

 

One of the guys who Camila remembers seeing behind the bar comes over with two bottles in one hand and two empty glasses balanced in the other. She watches as he sets the glasses on their coasters and uses a bottle opener from his belt to take the top off their drinks. He smiles at Lauren before setting the bottles beside their glasses and walking away. Lauren does not hesitate to pour the contents of her bottle into the glass and take her first sip. Camila mirrors her actions but doesn't take a sip right away, pausing to read the bottle.

 

“I'm not much of a drinker,” she confesses before setting the empty bottle on the edge of the table and pulling the now-full glass closer to her. 

 

“This is one of my favorite hard ciders. There's not much alcohol in it,” she assures her. 

 

Camila drinks a bit and decides she likes it. She knows it will probably be a while before their food arrives, so she decides to make an attempt at conversation.

 

“How long has Normani been pressuring you to go on a date?” 

 

“Ever since I stopped going out on the weekends which has been months now,” Lauren replies truthfully.

 

“Doesn't it make you insane? Dinah's only been on my case a couple weeks and I'm already over it.” 

 

“Definitely. No matter how many times I explain how I'm content being single for the time being she is dead set on proving otherwise. Some friends we have, huh?” Lauren muses. 

 

“I know, right? It's like the only way they'll leave us alone is if we're in a relationship,” Camila concludes.

 

“Then maybe you and I should be,” Lauren suggests. 

 

“What?” 

 

“In a relationship, I mean. You and I, or at least tell them we are so they give us a break,” she elaborates.

 

Camila contemplates the proposal for a moment and in the meantime their food arrives. They begin eating before the conversation continues.

“It would be a good way to get back at them. We wouldn't have to pretend for very long. Just a couple months, let them think we're in love, then stage some horrible break up that makes them feel guilty for setting us up in the first place,” Camila plots while thinking aloud. 

 

“I have a feeling, after this, they'll finally stop meddling in our personal lives.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Two**

 

“Do you know where Lauren works?” Camila asks Dinah as she balances her phone between her face and shoulder while pouring freshly brewed coffee into her travel mug on Monday morning.

 

“Can't you ask her yourself? Please tell me you got her number,” Dinah replies in a disapproving tone.

 

“Of course I did. I just want to surprise her is all,” Camila explains while stirring creamer into her drink.

 

Dinah, who is still lying in bed and taking her sweet time starting the day, glows at the news.

 

“Ooooh, I knew that Cabello charm was waiting to let loose!”

 

Camila rolls her eyes out of habit.

 

“It's only a second date, Di, and she hasn't even agreed yet.”

 

She checks the clock to make sure she isn't running late before tightening the top on her mug and patting her coat pocket to verify her keys are where she thought she left them.

 

“Fool, don't doubt yourself. I'll call Normani and text you what I find out,” Dinah offers, knowing Camila will be too busy to answer her phone while at work.

 

“Thanks! I have to get going in a minute. Try to get an idea of her schedule, too, if you can. I'm hoping it's somewhere I can swing by during a lunch break or something,” Camila reveals.

 

“A'ight, peace.”

 

Camila presses the 'end call' button on her cell before slipping it into her pocket and making her way out of the front door.

 

Meanwhile, Normani is grilling Lauren while they sit across from each other, eating pancakes, in the apartment they share.

 

“Come on, I kept my word and didn't bother you at all yesterday. I'm dying to hear about Saturday night,” Normani insists, pressuring Lauren to give her details about the date her and Dinah set up with Camila.

 

Lauren takes a sip of her orange juice then shakes her head dismissively.

 

“There's not much to talk about.”

 

Normani tilts her head and glances at Lauren with an expression full of doubt.

 

“You came home late. If there was nothing to talk about you would have been back much earlier,” she accuses.

 

“Fine. We exchanged numbers. Maybe we'll go out again. Happy?” Lauren summarizes, quickening the pace at which she is devouring her breakfast to shorten the opportunity for continuing the conversation.

 

Normani is about to press for additional details when her phone vibrates and she sees that Dinah is calling.

 

“I better take this. We'll talk later,” Normani promises.

 

“I hope not!” Lauren shouts at her roommate's retreating figure as Normani sets out down the hall to take the call from her bedroom.

 

“Please tell me Camila spilled everything to you about Saturday night,” Normani says immediately, not bothering with a standard greeting.

 

“Nah, I got nothing, buuuuuuutttt I do know for a fact that she wants to see Lauren again,” Dinah shares eagerly.

 

“For real? What'd she tell you?”

 

“She wants me to find out where Lauren works so she can stop by and ask her out in person I guess.”

 

“Do you know the Booke Barne across from that thrift store with the shady reputation? She works there on week days from 10 to 4.”

 

“I'll let Camila know. Don't tell Lauren.”

 

“My lips are sealed,” Normani agrees.

 

They wrap up their conversation and when she returns to finish breakfast she notices Lauren is missing and her jacket is gone. It's too early for Lauren to head into work, so Normani knows she is being avoided. A typical Lauren move.

 

Despite having the information she needs to visit Lauren at work promptly after requesting it, and Dinah's constant pressure to get it over with sooner, it's Thursday afternoon before Camila actually manages to get out of the office to take a real lunch break. Lauren knows Camila is going to ask her out. They spent the majority of their Saturday evening outlining what the progression of their relationship should be. However, they decided it would be best to improvise as they take turns leading one another through each step so as not to let it seem too forced. That is how Camila's appearance at Lauren's place of employment turns out as a genuine surprise.

 

“Camila? What are you doing here?” Lauren asks, peeking through a break in the shelf where she is organizing some of the new releases to observe the woman who has popped up on the other side unexpectedly.

 

“Do you have a moment to talk? I was hoping to catch you before you take your last break.”

 

“Sure,” Lauren agrees with a nod.

 

She leads them to a red leather couch that rests between the main bookstore and a cafe that is operated from the inside by the same owners. After they are seated she notices that Camila's hands are behind her back and this captures her curiosity.

 

“So what's up?” Lauren inquires casually, trying to take a peek behind Camila, but failing when she twists her body to keep whatever she is holding out of sight.

 

“I uh...I brought you something. Something that I hope will help convince you I'm worth a second date,” Camila confesses.

 

“Not that I'm against receiving gifts, but I think you should know I was prepared to say yes either way,” Lauren responds without missing a beat.

 

Camila smiles and finally reveals the present she brought for Lauren. She sets the small vinyl on Lauren's lap and looks up at the other woman's face to gauge her reaction. It might seem a bit much for a staged courtship, but she figures Lauren is doing her a huge favor going through this charade and she deserves a little more than just peace from Normani's hassling.

 

“Is this autograph real?” Lauren wonders, clearly stunned.

 

“Yeah. I pulled some strings.”

 

“Have you met Lana Del Rey?” She gasps, excited at the prospect of having anything less than six degrees of separation from one of her favorite artists.

 

Camila shakes her head and pulls out one of her business cards.

 

“Nope,” she replies while holding the card out to Lauren, “but I'm the assistant to an A&R rep who used to work for one of her labels.”

 

Lauren glances between the record and the business card for a moment, still in a state of disbelief, before finally looking up at the beautiful brown-haired, brown-eyed woman who gave them to her.

 

“Wow, I don't know how I am going to top this. Even if we go on a million dates, I'm not sure I could.”

 

“Don't worry about it. Small gestures mean a lot more when they come from the right person.”

 

Camila gets up to leave, knowing her boss will be expecting her to return soon. Lauren tugs her back down gently, stalling her.

 

“You sure you're not an actress?” Lauren whispers in her ear, breaking character.

 

Camila laughs before replying just as softly.

 

“For the sake of fooling our friends, you'd better pray we both are...”


	3. Chapter 3

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Three**

 

It's Friday night and Lauren is just about to squeeze out the front door of their apartment when Normani appears in the living room and calls out after her.

 

“Aha! I knew it. You do have a date tonight,” she accuses, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face from catching Lauren sneaking out.

 

“Mani, we've been over this. There's no reason to keep tabs on me. You don't see me insisting to know where you go all the time,” Lauren points out.

 

“I'm just excited for you is all,” Normani insists with a pout.

 

“Yeah, but I still haven't forgiven you yet.”

 

“I bet your mind changes by the time you get back tonight.”

 

Lauren shrugs and proceeds to make an exit without further protest from her roommate.

 

She meets Camila outside a cinema. They determined from texting the night before that they are both interested in the same new movie, so it isn't a burden on either of them to watch it together. Between the movie and dinner they manage to stay out a few hours, enough time for Normani to speculate Lauren is enjoying herself and also for Camila to decide what she can report back to Dinah.

 

Camila drives them to dinner, so she has to drop Lauren off at her car by the cinema afterward. They get carried away in their conversation and Lauren stays in the passenger seat for several minutes even after they are parked beside her car.

 

“I think one of the best sellers that surprised me the most was _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ,” Lauren admits, continuing the topic Camila started by bringing up questions about her job at the bookstore.

 

“Did you read the series?” Camila replies curiously.

 

“No, I barely made it through the first book. It's like a caricature of so-called deviant sexuality. Whenever pop culture latches onto something solely based upon its taboo qualities, it's a breeding ground for unfortunate misconceptions,” Lauren explains confidently.

 

Camila is impressed by Lauren's commentary, unable to remember the last time she had a thought-provoking discussion about literature. It's one of the downsides to having Dinah as a best friend. She's definitely a fun person to be around, but the last time she picked up a book was probably when her siblings were younger and begged her to read them 'Goodnight Moon'.

 

“I've been too busy to read lately. Sounds like I dodged a bullet not getting far enough down my list to read that one. There are many others I'm disappointed about putting off though.”

 

“If you find the spare time again, just tell me what you're looking for and I'll use my discount. Although I don't imagine you're pinching for pennies with a job like yours.”

 

Camila scoffs.

 

“You think assistants get paid big industry dollars? Try again. The compensation compared to their expectations is a joke.”

 

“Why do you put up with it then?”

 

“A foot in the door at HYPE-R Records is better than a foot in the door at the nearest unemployment office,” Camila defends with a slight humor to her tone.

 

Lauren nods her head in understanding before glancing down at her phone, which she previously laid on her lap, to check the time.

 

“I hope I haven't kept you too long. Do you have to go into work tomorrow?”

 

“No, thank God. The person I work for is in a travel phase right now. She's convinced most of the talent in this city has been drained, so she's exploring other avenues for talent discovery,” Camila reveals.

 

“Shouldn't you be on the road with her then? You are her assistant, right? Not that I'm trying to shoo you away or anything. Our 'relationship' won't hold up well if you're rarely available.”

 

“I handle more of the business side of things. I draft her deal memos. Set appointments. Schedule meetings. Whenever she doesn't want to contact someone directly, I step in and take over to fill the communication gaps. Anyway, it's all work better executed in an office setting. If she took me on the road it would imply she values my opinion and she's made it clear to me that's not the case,” Camila explains somewhat bitterly.

 

Lauren frowns and barely realizes when her left hand reaches toward Camila, placing it on top of the other woman's right hand as a comforting gesture. She can tell it startles Camila, but she doesn't make an effort to pull it away.

 

“If your taste in music is anything like your taste in women, she'll regret that some day,” Lauren insists with a wink.

 

Camila raises an eyebrow.

 

“I'm not sure if you just complimented me or yourself?”

 

“Both? Yeah...definitely both,” Lauren concludes.

 

“Good luck winning me over for that third date - seems you're going to need it,” Camila challenges, nudging Lauren to move her hand so they can finally part ways for the night. 


	4. Chapter 4

 

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Four**

 

Lauren struts up to the front desk of HYPE-R Records following an unusual burst of confidence on Tuesday afternoon. She and Camila had exchanged a few texts since their 'date', but it wasn't determined yet when they would see each other again because it was her turn to make the next move to advance the 'relationship'.

 

“I'm here to see Camila Cabello,” Lauren announces to the receptionist. 

 

The young, blonde woman behind the counter looks her up and down, then raises an eyebrow skeptically.

 

“Camila doesn't get visitors,” she declares flatly before turning her focus back to her computer screen and typing quickly as if she expects Lauren to leave. 

 

Lauren clears her throat.

 

“Will you at least let her know that I am here?”

 

The receptionist lets out a huff as if she is being inconvenienced before raising the receiver on her phone, dialing an extension, and bringing it to her ear.

 

“There's some woman here to see you,” she announces into the phone before pulling the lower part away from her face, placing her hand over the mouthpiece, and whispering to Lauren, “Who are you?”

 

“Tell her it's Lauren.” 

 

“She says her name is Lauren. Would you like me to have someone escort her out?” 

 

Lauren becomes smug when the receptionist's eyes widen in surprise at what she can only assume are orders from Camila to do the exact opposite. Her suspicions are confirmed when she hangs up the phone and stands from the desk.

 

“Camila can't come down to meet you right now, but she has asked me to show you where her office is located if you are able to wait a few minutes for her.” 

 

Lauren nods her head in agreement and follows the receptionist's lead as they enter a secure part of the building and take some stairs to the second level. They pass a couple recording booths and a meeting room before they reach a hallway to turn down on their left. The nameplate on the door in the middle where they pause reads “Stella Miller,” accompanied by “Asst. Camila Cabello” in much smaller print beneath it.

 

“Here's a visitor's pass,” the receptionist explains after reaching into her pocket and pulling out a slim security card, “I have to get back to my desk. If you end up waiting a long time and need to leave, the pass will clear you to wander along this floor until you find your way to the main level again. Just don't forget to turn it back in or it will set the alarm off downstairs.” 

 

Lauren slips the card into her pocket and leans against the wall casually. When the door is finally opened and Camila appears, the wait has been almost ten minutes.

 

“I guess you're really busy,” Lauren observes with an apologetic tone before following Camila's gesture for her to enter the office.

 

She notices the larger desk is empty, indicating Stella Miller's absence. There is a door propped open in the corner that leads to a smaller room with less desk space which clearly belongs to Camila. They enter Camila's office space and Lauren grabs a chair to take along with her from the main room upon realizing the absence of a place to sit besides Camila's one desk chair.

 

“Don't worry about interrupting me. I just wrapped up a conference call with my boss and that was my last major commitment for the day. Everything else is dull paperwork,” Camila reveals. 

 

“That receptionist is some piece of work,” Lauren vents, unable to hold back her distaste for the encounter leading up to their current meeting. 

 

Camila laughs lightly.

 

“Sadie makes everyone feel like a burden sometimes. I think that's her way of making herself seem more important.” 

 

“Seems accurate. Do you have plans tonight?” Lauren asks, cutting to the chase. 

 

Camila knows she doesn't have anything planned, but she pauses for a moment to give the impression she has to think about it anyway.

 

“Nope, I believe I'm free. Did you have something in mind?”

 

“Well, Normani's boyfriend is coming over for dinner tonight, so I was thinking we could make it a double date and test the waters being a couple with an audience,” Lauren suggests. 

 

“Does Normani already know you're inviting me?”

 

“Yes, I warned her I planned to ask you over and she is excited about it. Go figure.” 

 

“What time should I come over?” 

 

“Around 7 would be good. You can dress casual or wear whatever's comfortable,” Lauren offers, knowing it should be a fairly lowkey night at her apartment. 

 

“Sounds good to me. I've already met Tyler a couple times, so I won't have to worry about making an impression on anyone new,” Camila adds with an expression of relief. 

 

It's a quarter after seven when Camila knocks on the door to Lauren and Normani's apartment. Tyler is already there and the dining table is set up with their dinner ready to serve in the middle.

 

“Sorry I'm late,” Camila begins to apologize to Lauren as she takes and hangs up her guest's jacket, “I ended up staying in the office until 6:30 and underestimated the time it would take to get over here after stopping by my place.” 

 

Lauren insists for Camila not to worry about it as she leads them to the table where Normani and Tyler are already seated and waiting patiently to begin eating. Tyler recognizes Camila immediately and stands from his chair to reach out and greet her with a handshake.

 

“It's good to see you again,” Tyler tells Camila politely as she accepts his gesture before sitting down beside Lauren. 

 

“Thank you for allowing Lauren to include us in your plans tonight. I don't cook for myself that often at home, so I'm looking forward to having something besides takeout for a change,” Camila admits as she looks between her hosts and the delicious-looking food set out before them. 

 

“Don't thank us yet. Despite what Lauren may have told you, neither one of us is on our way to becoming expert chefs,” Normani explains. 

 

“Way to shatter the illusion before the first bite, Mani,” Lauren accuses while shaking her head in mock disapproval. 

 

“Well ladies, it looks delicious anyway. How about we dig in and find out?” Tyler suggests eagerly, unwilling to ignore his growling stomach much longer. 

 

Everyone agrees and begins to fill their individual plates, passing bowls between them where necessary and using appropriate table manners. They eat in a silence for a while, getting a few bites in before attempting a conversation again. Tyler is the first to speak up.

 

“So Mani tells me her and Dinah introduced the two of you a couple weekends back. I was surprised when she told me Lauren's agreed to a few more dates since then,” Tyler says, finishing his last thought while looking toward Camila. 

 

“I don't know if I'd call it an introduction. They abandoned us together at a concert,” Lauren cuts in, looking at Normani accusingly. 

 

“It worked though, right? Since you're seeing each other and are both here now,” Tyler points out. 

 

Camila gives a nod of agreement.

 

“We discovered a lot of common ground that first night. I didn't think I was ready to go out again, but Lauren quickly became an exception,” Camila gushes, looking over at the woman beside her with a genuine smile. 

 

Lauren finds herself subconsciously smiling back before Normani interrupts.

 

“Dinah was worried about you after the breakup with Ariana. I'm glad you're able to move on now.”

Camila stiffens at the mention of her ex-girlfriend. Lauren notices and reaches out to squeeze her hand underneath the table. When Lauren goes to pull away, Camila tightens the grip and delays the release of contact for a couple minutes as she responds.

 

“Long distance relationships take a lot out of a person. Not to mention all the hours spent working between Ariana and I. We were lucky to be in the same city once a month when she wasn't recording. I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to be her girlfriend in the first place,” Camila vents, beating herself up mentally at the reminder. 

 

Lauren listens intently, not knowing anything about Camila's past relationship. It takes her only a few seconds after Camila finishes speaking and releases her hand to realize who really is her ex-girlfriend.

 

“Ariana Grande is your ex?” Lauren asks, doing her best not to sound too shocked. 

 

“Yeah, she is...” Camila reveals, blushing lightly. 

 

“I don't remember any buzz about her having a girlfriend,” Lauren attempts to recall. 

 

Camila frowns.

 

“I had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. I technically breached that contract when I told Dinah. Then she told Normani, who told Tyler, and now you know, too. Please promise me it won't leave this room. If word ever got back to Ariana about it, I'd have to change my name and flee the country,” Camila begs, completely serious. 

 

“Sorry Mila, I figured it would have already come up,” Normani apologizes, referring to spilling the secret to Lauren before she had a chance to do so herself. 

 

“Don't worry about it. It would have come up eventually. I trust Lauren.” 

 

“Your secret is safe with me,” Lauren reassures her. 

 

They continue to make small talk through dinner and dessert. Afterward, Lauren shows Camila the top of their hallway closet that is stacked with board games. She picks Sorry and they bring it back to the living room.

 

“I haven't played this one in years,” Tyler exclaims after reading the box and grabbing it to start setting up. 

 

“Me neither,” Normani adds. 

 

“It's one of my little sister's favorites. The family still plays it when I go back home sometimes,” Camila explains. 

 

“Let's get this competition started,” Lauren declares, picking up all the green pieces and placing them in the start box closest to her side of the board. 

 

It's a close game, but Normani takes the victory by a narrow margin with her red pieces all making it home safe first. After cleaning up the game, Camila insists on helping with dishes, so it is almost 10 o'clock when she's ready to leave. Tyler and Normani have already left to her room and Lauren offers to walk Camila to her car.

 

“That went well,” Camila concludes as they halt beside her car and she fishes around her jacket pocket for her keys. 

 

“I agree. I had fun,” Lauren replies, slipping her hands into her jean pockets as she begins to shiver a bit from the evening chill. She didn't bring a jacket for herself because she didn't expect to be outside for long. 

 

Camila reaches out her arms, keys clenched in her right hand, and eyes Lauren expectantly.

 

“What?”

 

“Shouldn't we hug or something? One, you're cold and Two, we were just on a date so...” 

 

“Right,” Lauren confirms, feeling like an idiot. 

 

She accepts the other woman's embrace. They hold in place longer than a typical friendly hug but short enough as not to seem excessive. When they pull apart the loss of warmth is noticeable to Lauren who now regrets leaving her building in just a t-shirt.

 

“It's your move next, Cabello,” Lauren reminds her, a hint of teasing to her voice.

 

“Nuh uh, I just made one,” she teases back with a smirk, referring to their hug being her idea. 

 

“Well played, but if you want the G word brought into this, I'm leaving that up to you.” 

 

“Gold? It's a bit early for an engagement, don't you think,” she offers with a wink. 

 

“I meant girlfriend, smartass,” Lauren replies, rolling her eyes. 

 

“Okay, but we're going to have to work on your ideas for pet names. Smartass just won't cut it.” 

 

“You're unbelievable,” Lauren accuses before throwing her hands up in the air and beginning to walk back toward her building. 

 

“Better, but I suggest you sleep on it,” Camila calls behind her before unlocking her car and taking off for the night.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Five**

“Thank you so much for rescuing me,” Camila expresses in gratitude after Lauren pulls up in her car outside the studio Thursday evening.

She buckles herself in and smooths out her work attire, making herself comfortable as Lauren shifts her car back into drive.

“It's no problem. Do you know what's wrong with your car?” She asks as they begin the drive to Camila's apartment.

“Not really. I think the starter may need to be replaced. It has given me trouble before but this time it wouldn't turn over at all.”

“Did you call for a tow? Should we have waited?”

“No, no...I'll put it off until Saturday. I've already called the mechanic I used last time and arranged it. I'm sure Dinah will help me commute tomorrow if I bribe her,” Camila explains.

“I can take you. I don't have to go into work until 10. That's plenty of time to drop you off,” Lauren offers.

“Are you sure? I don't want you to go super out of your way. Dinah at least lives on the same side of the city,” Camila reasons.

“If it will decrease your guilt, I could sleep over at your place tonight, save myself a trip back and forth.”

“Well this escalated quickly. I don't usually repay my friends for favors in that way,” Camila replies while quirking an eyebrow.

Lauren chuckles at the insinuation.

“It may be exactly the way you repay a girlfriend though.”

“I thought I was supposed to be in charge of bringing up 'the G word'. You're breaking your own rules now,” Camila accuses.

Their banter continues as they complete the drive to Camila's apartment and Lauren borrows her assigned parking spot for the night. Camila is embarrassed initially because she didn't have warning to tidy up in advance. She isn't a complete slob, but there are some items scattered a bit carelessly since she doesn't get visitors often. Lauren doesn't appear to be judging her, more focused on the art hanging across the walls than the magazines, books, CDs, etc. littering parts of her floor.

“I usually take a quick shower when I get home. You can have a seat wherever you like. I don't pay for cable, but it's possible to stream almost anything to my TV. There are several menus on the fridge if you want to call something in for dinner. You're also welcome to try on some of my pajamas.”

Lauren picks up a remote off the TV stand and sits on the couch facing the TV with her legs resting above a footrest.

“I'll probably wait to order something until you're out of the shower because I don't know what you like to eat. Thanks for letting me stay here,” Lauren adds with a smile.

“You're the one doing me a huge favor. Besides, after sleeping on that couch I'm going to owe your back an apology,” Camila confesses.

“You expect me to sleep...here?” Lauren asks while pressing her hands down into the cushion she is sitting on and feeling for bumps or kinks.

“I'm not going to invite you into bed with me after three dates. We're not even official yet,” Camila teases.

“Whose fault is that?” Lauren reminds her smugly.

“Whatever, I'll be back in 15 or so. Try not to burn the place down while I'm in the shower. One of my worst nightmares is running or jumping from a building that has caught fire in my birthday suit.”

“No promises.”

After an hour has passed, Camila and Lauren are both wearing pajamas, eating Chinese food, and watching an episode of Orange is the New Black.

“Turning this on was a poor choice for a work night. I could marathon it for hours,” Camila comments between bites of food.

“Same. I've seen all of the episodes twice now. I'd love to write for a show like this,” Lauren admits.

“Anything could happen. I thought it was a long shot to land a job at a record label, but here I am,” Camila encourages.

Lauren shakes her head.

“Normani can attest to this. I have stacks of notebooks all over my room, filled with unfinished stories. It's only recently I've reached a breakthrough in one of them and am chasing after that inspiration in order to create my first potential bestseller.”

“Hmm. I like the idea of bragging to everyone about having a girlfriend who's a published author.”

“Is this your subtle way of asking me to be your girlfriend?” Lauren requests for clarification.

Camila nods and nudges Lauren gently, their shoulders in close enough proximity from sharing the couch.

“I dunno, Cabello. Usually I seal a deal like this with a kiss.”

Camila eyes Lauren suspiciously, attention torn away from the show completely at this point.

“You wouldn't dare,” she challenges.

Lauren smirks before leaning her cheek toward Camila and pointing to it, dead center.

“Pucker up, babe.”

Camila pulls Lauren's hand away from her face, presses her lips to Lauren's cheek, and holds them in place for a few seconds with the lightest of pressure before backing off and looking away. Neither of them comment on it any further after being sucked back into the show. They begin to cuddle sometime during the second episode and by the fourth consecutive episode both fall into a lull, trapped in each other's embrace with no complaint as they sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

 

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Six**

 

When Lauren's eyes open a couple hours later she is confused about the weight against her body until they adjust to the dark and take in her surroundings. She remembers that she is at Camila's apartment and nudges her sleeping figure gently so she can move. Camila groans at having her sleep disturbed and reaches out her arm to swat away at the air beside Lauren unconsciously. Lauren grins at the action, blushing when her thoughts call attention to how cute Camila looks in that moment. Once she snaps out of it, and after a gentle shake, Camila becomes alert. She stretches her arms and opens her eyes as she lets out a yawn.

 

“So much for not sleeping together,” Lauren muses.

 

Camila shoves Lauren playfully, although with much less force than anticipated as she is still groggy.

 

“What time is it? Want to go to my room?” Camila asks upon collecting her thoughts.

 

Lauren reaches for her phone on the coffee table, clicking the home button so the screen will light up and display the time.

 

“2:45...have you really given up on your reservations about inviting me into bed with you or is this just the sleep talking?”

 

“Just shut up and follow me,” Camila commands, tugging on the sleeve to her own shirt, which Lauren is wearing, and getting up from the couch.

 

“After you,bossypants,” Lauren replies, following Camila down her hallway with the promise of a few more hours of quality sleep.

 

At a quarter 'til 9 Lauren returns to her apartment after dropping Camila off at work. Normani looks up from her cereal and grins like a child on Christmas morning when Lauren enters their front door.

 

“Should I call up U-Haul for you,” Normani teases before taking another bite of her cereal and reaching toward her phone for effect.

 

Lauren picks up a banana from the fruit bowl on their counter and begins to unpeel it before responding.

 

“I take offense to your stereotypes, Mani. Just because I spent one night at my girlfriend's place doesn't mean I'm ready to move in with her.”

 

Normani looks Lauren up and down, taking note of her unrecognizable attire.

 

“A, you're already wearing her clothes and B, you're official now?”

 

Lauren nods and takes a couple bites of her fruit for breakfast before walking over into the kitchen to pour herself some milk.

 

“How did it happen?” Normani asks after Lauren has closed the fridge and is facing her again.

 

“How did what happen?”

 

“Staying at Camila's? Putting a label on it? Borrowing her clothes?”

 

Lauren shrugs before leaning against the counter and sipping from her glass of milk.

 

“Her car wouldn't start after work. Dinah had a later shift and couldn't pick her up, so I offered. I stayed at her place last night to save the extra trip dropping her off this morning.”

 

Normani fakes a yawn.

 

“Boooorrrinnnnggg. This story needs more action,” she critiques.

 

“I agreed to be Camila's girlfriend because I know I'm not interested in seeing anyone else right now and I really like her so far, but that doesn't change the fact that neither one of us was looking for a relationship when we met. I don't want to rush anything.”

 

Normani reaches out to touch Lauren's forehead as if checking for a fever.

 

“You _look_ and _feel_ like Lauren Jauregui, but I'm not sure you _sound_ like her anymore.”

 

Lauren grabs Normani's wrist and pushes her roommate's hand away from her face.

 

“Things have been different since Ally, you know that,” Lauren reminds her in a soft tone, indicating her ex-girlfriend is still a touchy subject.

 

“Yeah, I know,” Normani confirms, offering a sympathetic look before getting up to put her empty cereal bowl away and get ready for work. Lauren follows suit and the conversation ends as they prepare to go their separate ways for the day.

 

Dinah calls Camila at work during the late afternoon. Her boss left early for her weekend travels and there's a stack of paperwork almost as tall as her head to get through before 5 o' clock.

 

“Somebody better be dead. I told you to use this number for emergencies only,” Camila scolds immediately upon hearing her best friend on the line.

 

“This is an emergency. I got the lead on an underground shindig tonight! Can we get ready at your place after I pick you up from work? I'm about to text Mani the deets.”

 

“I am not going to a rave, Dinah. Remember what happened the last time I tried dancing in public? Never again,” Camila declares, trying to block out the memory.

 

“Don't front like you ain't wantin' to show off your woman,” Dinah accuses.

 

“Lauren isn't my woman. She's a person, not property,” Camila insists, subconsciously biting on the tips of her fingernails as the conversation goes on and the paperwork beside her appears more abundant every time she peeks over at it.

 

“A lil birdie told me she's your girlfriend now. You don't have to tone it down for me.”

 

“I can't talk about this right now, Dinah. I'm nearing meltdown mode with Stella out on the road again.”

 

“All the more reason to let it loose tonight!” Dinah counters.

 

“I'm hanging up now. See you after five,” Camila says with finality before hanging up the phone and resuming the task at hand.

 

Dinah, never famous for being on time, still hasn't shown up at 5:15 when Camila exits the studio. She checks her phone and sees that she has a few messages. Only one of them is from Dinah who is apologizing for running late. There are two from Lauren and another one is from a number no longer listed in her contacts, but that she knows from memory belongs to Ariana. She ignores the one from her ex, deletes the one from Dinah, and opens the texts from Lauren.

 

_Normani has this crazy idea that you wanna take me clubbing tonight. I told her that doesn't sound like you at all but maybe I'm wrong? (5:01 PM)_

 

_Normani just confirmed with Dinah that you're definitely going. Would you hate me if I bailed? I don't mind spending time with you, but I'm not really up for the crowd tonight. (5:09 PM)_

 

Camila lets out a sigh and types a reply.

 

_I don't want to go either. It's all Dinah's idea. I've had one hell of a day. The only thing I want is a glass of a wine and a good book...none of that loud, poorly DJ'd music and strangers' sweat dripping on me. (5:19 PM)_

 

Camila is still anxiously waiting for Lauren's reply when Dinah's car pulls up. She gets in the car and lets Dinah talk her ear off about the rave on the way to her apartment, failing to mention that she has no intention of joining the evening's festivities. They are about to park when her phone buzzes and she reads Lauren's reply.

 

_Didn't you say you're not much of a drinker? I hope the thought of being my girlfriend hasn't tipped you over the edge. ;) (5:35 PM)_

 

Camila quickly types her response.

 

_There's a different edge you should plan on tipping me over if you want to keep me around. (5:36 PM)_

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Seven**

 

Dinah is flipping through the clothes she brought over, trying to pick out an outfit for the night with Camila's input. She is surprised when there's a knock on the door and Camila ignores the question she's in the middle of asking to answer it right away. Lauren's voice carries through the apartment and Dinah exits the bedroom to greet her with the dress she just put on left unzipped.

 

“Hey Dinah, getting ready to go out?” Lauren asks casually although she already knows the answer.

 

“Yeah...but why do I get the feeling you two aren't?” Dinah replies upon inspecting Lauren's outfit.

 

She is wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants. She also appears to be carrying a laptop case in her right hand.

 

“Clubs aren't my scene, so Camz invited me over for a quiet night here,” Lauren explains.

 

“Camz?” Dinah questions, looking between her two friends.

 

Camila gives Lauren a thumbs up from behind Dinah where she cannot see, showing her approval for the new pet name.

 

“Dinah, you know I love you, right?” Camila starts, attempting to soften the wound of blowing her off.

 

“Uh uh don't you start with me. If yall wanna be boring tonight then Mani and I will go live it up without ya.”

 

Dinah turns around and walks back to Camila's room, preparing to text Normani and send pics of her trying on a couple more outfits before they meet up.

 

Lauren sets her laptop case on the coffee table and unzips it, retrieving the power cable first to look for the nearest outlet. Camila points to a space between the right end of the couch and a bookshelf to help her out. Once she is all set up she plops down on the couch while Camila continues to stand by the bookshelf, contemplating what she would like to read. She settles on _The Client_ by John Grisham before moving the coffee table out of the way, pulling out a footrest, and getting comfortable beside Lauren. They focus on their individual tasks without interruption, Lauren writing and Camila reading, until Dinah returns to the living room wearing the outfit she finally settled on for the club.

 

“Matchmaking skills on point,” Dinah brags while getting out her phone to snap a picture of the two introverts in their element.

 

“Was that really necessary?” Camila asks, looking up from her book to address the not-so-sneaky photographer.

 

“You'll thank me later for documenting these precious moments. Anyway, time to bounce.”

 

Dinah lifts her purse over her shoulder and walks toward the front door.

 

“I'll pick up my extra clothes tomorrow,” she adds before exiting the apartment.

 

Once she leaves Camila breathes a sigh of relief.

 

“I thought for sure she was gonna put up a bigger fight than that,” she admits, turning to face Lauren's direction.

 

Lauren pauses her typing and hits CRTL + S to save her document in progress.

 

“Normani sent me a really long text when she found out I'm not going. But that was also back when she was under the impression you planned to go, so most of her argument centered around how ridiculous I was being for sending you out to a club by yourself when our relationship is brand new.”

 

“She has a point. If I wasn't tragically uncoordinated it would be a poor decision to dance with strangers and have them hitting on me, thinking I'm single because the person who would claim me isn't around.”

 

“Or I could just be secure in our relationship. Although I've been burned before,” Lauren reveals, eyes meeting Camila's during the confession.

 

“What happened? You don't have to talk about it...”

 

“No, that's fine. Ally and I broke up five months ago. It's probably about time I get it out of my system.”

 

Camila listens intently as Lauren summarizes her relationship with Ally. She was a graduate student and a teaching assistant in one of Lauren's classes during her final year of undergraduate studies. They would flirt during her office hours and began meeting off campus for coffee. After Lauren received her degree they made their relationship official and within seven months they had moved in together. Within a year, Ally began to distance herself and was home less often. Lauren discovered evidence Ally was cheating and immediately moved into Normani's one bedroom apartment before they applied together and got approved for a two bedroom unit. They haven't seen each other or spoken since.

 

“Ariana and I weren't nearly as serious as you and Ally seemed to be. Don't get me wrong, I was still heartbroken when it didn't work out, but I can't imagine living under the same roof and drifting apart like that,” Camila reacts to Lauren's story with a frown.

 

“I think the problem is how in denial I was for the longest time. Ally and I, we had chemistry, and she is so full of energy and life. The contrast in our personalities should have tipped me off, but it was part of what made me appreciate her in the beginning. In the end, there were quite a few areas of our lives where compromise wasn't happening and it was probably easier on her to find someone else who won't ask her to change as much.”

 

They are interrupted by Camila's phone vibrating multiple times to indicate an incoming call. She looks at Lauren apologetically as she reaches out to look at who's calling her. It's the same number, not in her contacts, that she ignored a text from earlier.

 

“Speaking of ex-girlfriends,” Camila cuts in after hitting the 'ignore call' button, “that was Ariana.”

 

“Are you still speaking to her?”

 

“Nope. Not since we broke up,” Camila confirms.

 

Lauren has another question in mind but is interrupted by a knock on door.

 

“Are you expecting someone?”

 

Camila shakes her head.

 

“I don't think so...” Camila trails off as she gets up from the couch and leans against her door to look out the peep hole. “Oh my god, it's her!”

 

“Her?”

 

“Ariana. She's on the other side of this door right now,” Camila explains in a hushed tone, “and she's holding flowers.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Eight**

 

Camila hesitates about whether or not to open the door. Ariana definitely would have already heard her footsteps, so there's no point in pretending she isn't home. She never considered before what she would do if they encountered each other again, and she always imagined it would be at a label event or somewhere equally as public where they could ignore each other like they had to before while in a secret relationship. Lauren makes no effort to influence Camila's decision, unprepared to meet the famous popstar under such unusual circumstances. A second series of knocks warns Camila that she can only delay the inevitable so long. So she takes a deep breath, reaches for the handle, and faces the music.

“H-Hi Ari,” Camila stutters as the other woman invites herself inside and pushes the door closed behind her, allowing her to remove the hood and glasses she was wearing to disguise herself.

She hands Camila the flowers she had been carrying in her arms and remains oblivious to the fact that they're not alone as she attempts to start a conversation.

“I was hoping we could talk,” she explains with a pleading expression.

Lauren, who worked passed being starstruck much more quickly than she expected, clears her throat in the background. Ariana's eyes go wide at the realization that she has been exposed to a stranger.

“It didn't occur to me that you might have company,” Ariana admits awkwardly.

“Um yeah, this is Lauren...my girlfriend?” Camila introduces, making it sound more like a question than she intended. “And Lauren, this is...well, I suppose you already know.”

Lauren leaves the comfort of the couch to shake hands with the celebrity. She doesn't trust the smile on Ariana's face when they withdraw the contact and the attention returns to Camila.

“How long have you been seeing each other?”

It seems like an innocent question, but Camila can see right through it. She's testing whether the two relationships overlapped or trying to get an idea of how quickly she moved on.

“Two weeks,” Camila replies honestly.

“Camila is so modest about her job and the people she knows from it. She mentioned meeting you before but I didn't expect to run into you myself like this,” Lauren cuts in, attempting to bring herself back into the conversation.

Ariana looks over at Lauren, genuinely curious.

“She never told you about us?”

Camila blinks a few extra times, not trusting that she heard Ariana correctly. Upon observing Lauren's confused expression she realizes it wasn't her imagination. Suddenly, she is angry.

“Ohhh, so NOW it's okay to tell people?” Camila asks bitterly.

Ariana shakes her head.

“I brought you flowers. Lauren looks like an intelligent woman. She probably put two and two together herself,” Ariana assumes, looking to Lauren for confirmation.

Lauren nods before beginning to pack up her laptop.

“It sounds like you have a lot to talk about. I think it would be best if I head home,” Lauren offers, not wanting to worry about blurring the line between upholding their deal to be a fake couple and allowing Camila the opportunity to salvage her real relationship again if she chooses.

“No, Lauren, please stay,” Camila begs while sending her a glare that implies she really means 'don't you dare think about leaving'.

“Yeah Lauren, stay. I wouldn't want you to lose any sleep tonight thinking about Camila preferring my company,” Ariana insists, a fake tone of sweetness to her voice.

“Ari, don't start. You don't get to play the role of jealous girlfriend anymore. We broke up,” Camila reminds Ariana, irritated that she is so blatantly attempting to make Lauren feel threatened by her.

“I thought you would be ready to admit that was a mistake,” she suggests with a pout.

“No Ariana, you coming here tonight was a mistake,” Lauren declares, catching them both off guard.

Ariana scoffs and turns toward Camila.

“Are you going to let her talk to me like that?”

“I always knew you were intimidated by people who aren't afraid to speak their minds. That happens to be something I really like about Lauren. At least with her, I don't have to lie all the time,” Camila rants, letting the last part roll off her tongue before thinking it through.

Lauren feels a pang of guilt upon hearing Camila's mistake. She finds herself questioning how the two relationships are even different apart from the authenticity of romantic feelings behind one of them compared to the other. However, she cannot get lost too deep into thought before Ariana calls attention back to her.

“I came here tonight to ask you to take our relationship public,” Ariana announces, dropping a bomb on her ex-girlfriend, and said ex-girlfriend's current girlfriend.

“What?” Camila and Lauren ask at the same time, not expecting this particular proposal at all.

“You were right, Camila. The distance was a hassle for both of us, but it wasn't as big of an obstacle as the secrecy and all that sneaking around. I really missed you, so I cleared it with my manager. She thinks we can make our love story work.”

Camila is livid at this point, pacing the floor enough that Lauren almost gets dizzy letting her gaze follow her moving figure.

“I cannot believe this is happening. The fucking nerve...” Camila mumbles almost inaudibly.

“MiMi, please,” Ariana starts, standing in Camila's path so it forces her to halt.

“I hate it when you call me that,” Camila warns her for the first time since Ariana started using the nickname, not caring about offending her anymore.

Lauren works up the nerve to interfere, walking up to Camila and putting an arm around her waist both for comfort and to show possession. She can tell it is having the intended effect by the uneasy expression on Ariana's face.

“Camila has had a long day. She doesn't need this right now. I think you should leave,” Lauren requests without a hint of hesitance in her voice.

Ariana refuses to make eye contact with Lauren, staring directly at Camila instead, waiting for her to say something, anything to suggest she disagrees. The silence lingers for a while and Ariana becomes uncomfortable watching Lauren's arm remain around Camila, her hand traveling as it strokes up and down Camila's side as well. It has visibly calmed her down, and Ariana is crushed at the realization that Lauren knows how to do this after only being with Camila for two weeks when she couldn't figure it out even after several months.

“You're right, I'm sorry. I'll just go,” she decides before retrieving her disguise and putting it back in place. “You can keep the flowers,” she adds before turning around and making an exit.

Lauren is surprised when Camila turns around to embrace her in a hug, and it isn't until the slightly younger woman pulls back to whisper a sincere “thank you” that she notices tears have begun falling down her face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Nine**

“I'm sorry you ended up in the middle of all this,” Camila apologizes over an hour later as her and Lauren are exiting the latter's car in front of Froyoyo.

“I really don't mind, Camz. It's what any friend would have done, or girlfriend for that matter.”

Camila smiles at Lauren before opening the door to the frozen yogurt shop and holding it open for Lauren to go inside first. They grab their bowls and a couple test cups to sample the flavors. Camila settles on Banana Blitz and Lauren fills her bowl with a mix of the Red Velvet and German Chocolate cake-based flavors. They pile on toppings before approaching the scales at the register. Camila reaches into her purse to pay but Lauren stops her.

“Hey, no, it's my treat,” she insists.

Camila attempts to protest, wanting to show appreciation for Lauren putting up with her emotional low tonight, but Lauren gives the employee her debit card before she can get another word in otherwise. They take a seat at a table in the right corner of the shop. There are only two other tables occupied and neither is close enough to be concerned about eavesdropping.

“I think this is going to be my new addiction,” Camila announces after taking several bites of her froyo.

“My poor wallet,” Lauren teases, putting down her spoon so she'll slow down on her own bowl after suffering a moment of brain freeze.

“You should try a bite,” Camila encourages, holding out a spoonful and gradually bringing it closer to Lauren's lips from across the table.

“I dunno, bananas are one of those fruits that seems much less appealing as a flavor,” Lauren begins to object.

Camila pokes at Lauren's bottom lip with her spoon and is pleased with herself when her persistence pays off. Lauren opens her mouth and allows her taste buds to be penetrated by a mix of banana, fruity pebbles, and what she assumes is a piece of gummy bear.

“Mmm, okay...you win,” Lauren surrenders after swallowing the last of it. “It's delicious.”

“Can I try yours?” Camila asks, her spoon already halfway into Lauren's bowl before she answers.

“Help yourself.”

They end up sharing the rest of what's left of each bowl, and for a while Camila forgets to care about anything other than Lauren and frozen yogurt, neither of which she would mind having around on infinite loop. This realization seems abnormal to her somehow, but she brushes it off after she dives for another bite only to discover the spoon hitting the bottom of an empty bowl.

“Will you judge me if I order a second round for the road?”

Lauren shakes her head and takes her debit card out again.

“Knock yourself out,” she offers while pushing it into Camila's hand.

“Are you sure?” Camila refers to the dessert being Lauren's expense again.

“Well I don't know how else I can compete with Ariana for the Girlfriend of the Year award. She's already proved she knows a thing or two about grabbing trophies and giving speeches. Going for the underdog pity points here,” Lauren confesses.

Camila frowns at the shift of topic.

“Way to be a mood killer,” she accuses before walking away to gather her yogurt and toppings.

Lauren criticizes herself for mentioning Ariana. She doesn't know what overcame her to do such a thing, especially while implying some type of competition. The whole point of going out to Froyoyo was to keep Camila's mind off her beautiful, celebrity ex-girlfriend, not rub it in her face.

“Ready to go?” Camila asks as she approaches their table, interrupting Lauren's thoughts.

“Yep,” Lauren confirms, getting up from her seat and following Camila out to the car.

“I think this would make a great topping for waffles or pancakes in the morning,” Camila thinks aloud, gesturing to her large-size bowl of froyo as they begin the drive back to her apartment.

“Is that an invitation for breakfast?”

Camila looks down at her lap nervously.

“I didn't mean to assume you'll stay the night, but you're welcome,” she amends.

“As long as I'm back at my place before hungover Normani notices I was missing again, we should be fine,” Lauren agrees, not seeing any harm in continuing to keep Camila company.

They stay up late continuing their marathon of OITNB except this time they leave to Camila's bedroom before either one of them falls asleep completely. Lauren keeps her distance from Camila when they get into bed, wanting to be respectful of her space. However, it becomes clear Camila has different plans when Lauren begins to drift off and feels the warmth of another body leaning against her from behind as one arm crosses the front of her body as well. She does her best not to make any sudden movement to suggest opposition, closing her eyes and enjoying a comfort that until the night before she had forgotten she missed.

Camila is the first to wake up in the morning, although it's closer to afternoon, when she hears the handle of her bedroom door jiggle while in a lighter part of her sleep cycle. She takes her time opening her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light leaking in through her blinds. There's a figure standing near the foot of the bed and it doesn't occur to her to be concerned until she realizes the only other person who is supposed to be in her apartment right now is still wrapped in her arms.

“Oooo girl, get some!” Dinah's voice echoes, causing Lauren to stir slightly.

Camila slowly pulls herself away from Lauren and sits up carefully, not wanting to disturb her sleep anymore than Dinah already has.

“Shhh, can you give me a minute,” Camila requests, pointing out toward the living room.

Camila moves her hand in a scooting gesture when Dinah doesn't immediately follow directions. She takes the hint and leaves the room, but not before shaking her head and mumbling “rude” just loud enough for Camila to hear. Camila finishes getting off her bed and is relieved when Lauren appears asleep still even after her body shifts again. She closes her bedroom door behind her gently and joins Dinah in the living room.

“What are you doing here?”

“Your car is going into the shop today. You had asked me for a ride but it looks like Lauren already took you for one,” Dinah notes, causing Camila's cheeks to heat up into a blush.

“Dinah, oh my god,” Camila scolds, “it isn't like that.”

“Holdin' out on the details again. Predictable.”

“You want details? Why not take a look at those flowers,” Camila decides, calling attention to the bouquet Ariana had left behind the night before.

Dinah shrugs before walking over to the table, picking up the flowers, and reading the card attached.

_MiMi, I've missed you babe, so much. I couldn't stop thinking about you while I was on the road between shows. Please find it in your heart to forgive me and give us another chance. I'm ready to show my fans and the world that we belong together. Love, Ari._

Dinah looks up from the bouquet, clearly stunned at what she just read.

“Ariana sent you these?”

“Nope, she hand delivered them last night,” Camila clarifies as Dinah sits back down with her on the couch.

“If you need me to find her and teach her a thing or two...”

“No, it's fine. Lauren helped me send her out. I think she knows it's really over between us.”

“The nerve of that woman, trying to get you to take her back when you've obviously moved on and are falling in love with someone else,” Dinah shakes her head in disbelief.

“It's a bit soon for the L word, Di,” Camila replies, feeling uneasy about assigning such a heavy emotion to her relationship with Lauren despite how fast-paced they've set everything up by design.

“It's always too soon for the L word. That show was a flop,” Lauren cuts in as she walks into the living room and announces her presence, only catching the end of the conversation between the two best friends.


	10. Chapter 10

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Ten**

After Dinah takes Camila to deal with her broken car, her and Lauren part ways for the rest of the weekend. Lauren picks up some extra hours at the bookstore and works on her story in the evenings. Camila spends the majority of Saturday catching Dinah up on her relationship with Lauren, drama with Ariana, and the chaos at work. She spends her Sunday reading the rest of _The Client_ and ignoring a few more texts from her ex-girlfriend. It's after 10 PM and Camila is getting ready for bed when she hears her phone buzz from the counter while brushing her teeth. She finishes her evening routine before checking her phone, assuming it's just another text from Ariana to delete. When she does get around to reading the screen, she is pleasantly surprised to see Lauren's name at the top of her messages.

_I hope this isn't too short of notice. There's a really laid back, free painting workshop at a studio down by my place that's scheduled once a month. The next one is tomorrow night and I would like to bring you along. It starts around 7:30. Just let me know._

Camila smiles down at her phone as she tucks herself into bed and reaches over to turn off her lamp. She adjusts so she is in a comfortable position, laying on her right side in her dark room as she types out a reply.

_I must have neglected to mention my preschool art skills. You sure you're up for the embarrassment?_

Lauren, who is still wide awake and trying to decide how to introduce a new character into the story she is writing, pauses what she is doing when her text tone goes off. She reads Camila's response and chuckles to herself before responding.

_Every month they focus on a different style of painting, and the instructor teaches under the assumption that nobody has any prior knowledge or skill in that particular style. They also serve wine on these nights so if you're really that horrible I can pour myself through a bottle and claim it's responsible for my poor choice in date._

Camila can feel herself drifting into sleep when her phone buzzes again, but she can't bring herself to wait until morning to read Lauren's text, so she slides it off her bedside table and squints upon encountering the bright light of the screen in contrast to the dark room.

_You're lucky the studio's within walking distance. It may take two or three bottles to handle me. I'll try to be at your place by 7. Good night._

Camila has a hellish Monday as usual. She is still playing catch up on paperwork while also listening to her boss rant on for most of the day about expediting the process for setting up a new band she heard over the weekend with studio time for her to introduce them to the label. There are about a dozen hoops to jump through between drawing up the proper paperwork, making the right phone calls, and drafting a temporary producer to work on their demo track. It's nearly 6:30 when she leaves the office and the light traffic is her only savior in making it to Lauren's place at the time they arranged. When Lauren opens the door for Camila she can tell she is stressed and briefly wonders if she should cancel the date. Painting is a stress reliever for Lauren, but for someone artistically challenged it may be less appealing.

“Can I get you anything? A snack? A glass of water?” Lauren offers after Camila removes her jacket and takes a seat on the couch.

“May I borrow some clothes? I probably shouldn't wear this around paint,” Camila concludes, gesturing toward her professional work attire.

“Sure, let me grab you some.”

Lauren goes down the hall and turns into her bedroom. She returns a few minutes later with some black track pants and a plain red t-shirt with an Old Navy logo.

“I know these are nothing fancy, but the pants have a tie on them and I only ever wear that shirt to bed because it's snug around my chest. You can try them on and let me know if you prefer something else.”

“Thanks. I should have thought ahead and brought my own change of clothes. I'll be right back,” Camila replies, heading down to the bathroom from memory after having dinner at their place the week before.

When Camila returns from the bathroom Lauren is in the kitchen eating a couple crackers and pouring herself a serving of orange juice. She has a full view of Camila from over the counter which acts as a barrier between the living room and kitchen, and she finds herself admiring how her clothes fit the slightly more petite woman.

“Are we walking to the studio or should I drive us over?” Camila asks, trying to determine whether she should plan on bringing her own clothes down to her car now or later.

Lauren almost misses the question from being lost in a daze, but manages to make a quick recovery.

“It's only four blocks. I usually walk,” she answers nonchalant, quickly gulping down the rest of her orange juice afterward and turning to put her glass away in the dishwasher.

They get down to the sidewalk outside Lauren's building and Camila pauses, waiting for Lauren to lead them in the correct direction. She directs them left and they make it about a block before stopping to wait for the pedestrian signal at an intersection. The space between their bodies as they're standing beside each other is minimal and it crosses Camila's mind that it would make sense to hold Lauren's hand, so she grabs it boldly right as the walk signal comes up. Lauren participates in keeping their grip together as they continue the short walk, pretending as if nothing is out of the ordinary about their behavior.

The style of the night is _cubismo_ , and Camila is impressed with herself when it's a half hour into the class and her painting still looks like it might turn into something promising. Despite her personal victory, she is unprepared for the masterpiece that Lauren reveals at the end of the lesson. Of course she had been peeking over at Lauren from time to time as she worked on her own piece, but it took viewing the end result to truly appreciate that the other woman has a true talent for the art.

“You didn't tell me you were a descendant of Picasso,” Camila remarks as they're cleaning up their supplies.

“I have to harbor a few secrets to keep the mystery alive,” Lauren suggests with a mischievous grin.

“A few? So there's more for me to work out?”

“Of course. If I told you everything about me outright that would make for a fairly dull relationship, don't you think?” Lauren reasons.

“Unless one of those secrets is that you're an international spy or a local crime lord. Those would generally be good things to disclose early on,” Camila counters.

“If I turn out to be either one of those things, you'll be the first to know,” Lauren promises before transporting both of their art pieces to the drying table.

“Would you care for a glass of wine, m'lady?” Lauren offers using a fake, foreign accent.

Camila accepts the offer and peers down at Lauren's painting in an ongoing fascination while she waits for her to return with their drinks. The comparison between how her and Lauren's paintings turned out is like night and day. In her defense, this was her first time holding a paintbrush since taking a high school art elective, so producing anything even slightly resembling art is an accomplishment on its own. The complexity of Lauren's interpretation of the style is stunning though, and it leaves Camila wondering if it's possible to be attracted to someone based solely on their artwork.

Lauren and Camila eventually mingle with the other painters as they sip their wine and wait for their paintings to be dry enough to take home. After seeing several of the other paintings, Camila is prepared to argue that Lauren's turned out the best. She is more satisfied to observe that hers doesn't appear to have turned out the worst either. Lauren scolds her for celebrating this discovery aloud, reminding her that art is often subjective – a fact she is familiar with from her line of work as well.

Normani is watching a Reality TV cooking competition when Lauren and Camila walk into the apartment together following their date at the art studio. She smiles wide upon observing the position of their hands, still intertwined from the walk home. They let go so they can put down their paintings and Lauren can hang up her coat.

“How was the art class?” Normani inquires, familiar with Lauren's habit of attending the session on a monthly basis, and her theory of them making it a date being backed up by the paintings they brought home with them.

“I had a lot of fun. I'm really glad I didn't back out,” Camila admits with sincerity.

“Lauren dragged me along once, too. After seeing how she paints, I gave up,” Normani recalls.

“I bet you're talented enough to sell your paintings,” Camila adds, nudging Lauren who is standing beside her.

“I don't know. I've always wanted to publish a novel and share myself in that way. Painting is more of a hobby I do for myself.”

“You say that now, but if one of us lost our job and couldn't make rent you better believe I'd be throwing a paintbrush and an apron at you, setting you up to sell your work at the Saturday market or over at one of the parks,” Normani warns.

“See what I put up with? We're not even broke yet and Normani's already scheming on ways to pimp me out first,” Lauren accuses, humor evident in her tone.

“As long as it's your art she's selling and not your body, I'll allow it.”

“What if selling my art was a cover and she really did sell my body instead?”

“Then I better be your only client, because I don't like to share,” Camila flirts easily.

“Hey, can the two of you take your foreplay into the other room or something? I'm trying to watch my show. It's double elimination this week and I need to concentrate,” Normani interrupts, too engrossed in her program to notice the awkwardness that passes between the two following her suggestion.


	11. Chapter 11

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Eleven**

It's Wednesday afternoon and Camila hides in a storage closet for a few minutes so she can make a phone call out to Lauren. They have been texting on and off since their date Monday night and made tentative plans for this evening. Unfortunately, Stella is on a rampage and has estimated they'll be working until 8 or 9, leaving her no choice but to cancel. Lauren is just getting off work when she hears her ringtone and sees Camila's calling.

“Hi Camz,” Lauren answers as she is unlocking and entering her car.

“Hi Lauren, I can't talk for long,” Camila begins to explain.

“That's fine. What's up?”

“Tonight isn't going to work out. Stella had us trapped in a meeting almost all day with the new band and their wannabe manager making negotiations. They just started recording a half hour ago and she won't let me off the hook until I create a full proposal for the label to review. Basically I have to summarize their sound based on this track they're laying down and defend its marketability. I'll be lucky to make it home by 10.”

Lauren does her best to hide the disappointment she feels. Camila invited her to attend amateur night at one of the local comedy clubs for their next “date,” and after dealing with the abuse of several angry customers who came in to buy one of the popular new releases that sold out she was looking forward to an evening of laughs while in more preferable company.

“Don't worry about it. Maybe we can go next week?” Lauren suggests, attempting to demonstrate that she was genuinely interested in the night out Camila had planned for them.

“Definitely. Thanks for understanding. Would you like to plan something for this weekend or should we take a break?” Camila offers an out, not wanting Lauren to feel obligated to spend more time with her than is necessary to keep up appearances for their friends.

“Normani's birthday is next week but she wants to celebrate with an outing this Saturday. I'm sure she expects us both to be there, so we can't escape each other even if we tried. Unless we want to stir up trouble in paradise?”

“It's too soon. If we fight now, they won't buy into how torn we are after the break up,” Camila reasons.

“Agreed. I better let you go though. I still need to drive home and I'm sure you're super thrilled about getting back to work.”

“Don't remind me,” Camila replies before they exchange their goodbyes and hang up the call.

When Saturday night rolls around Normani, Tyler, Lauren, Camila, Dinah, and Dinah's boyfriend Carter all meet up at Normani and Lauren's apartment before going out. A few more of Normani's friends meet them at their destination restaurant, Cesar Goodies. They have a reservation at a large table with a great view of the stage where karaoke is performed. One of the scantily clad waitresses sets them up with menus, pausing longer than necessary when leaning over in front of the men at the table. Carter is sitting at one of the ends and Dinah sends their waitress a glare of death when she pretends to accidentally run her hand up his arm while pulling away from setting down his menu. She scurries away a moment later to greet another table of guests without acknowledging the unspoken threat.

“I hope they bring our drinks before karaoke starts. I'm going to need the liquid courage to give Queen Bey a proper tribute,” Normani confesses.

“I don't think I've ever been drunk enough to sing in public,” Camila replies, praying Dinah won't conspire against her and try adding her name to the list without permission like the last time they went out. She had to spend an embarrassing amount of time in the bathroom to guarantee they'd skip her turn when it came around at the bar, and she hasn't shown her face there since.

“The trick is to join in on group songs. There are only two mics, so your voice will barely carry but you'll still have some of the fun,” Tyler advises.

“No pressure, Camz,” Lauren adds while placing an arm around her nervous date, “We can leave the entertainment up to the others.”

The waitress returns to take their drink orders and the rest of the conversation going around the table focuses on selecting songs out of the karaoke books she has also set out for them to look over. They are onto making food orders when the Karaoke system is turned on and they start a sign-up list. Dinah puts herself on top of the list, signing up to sing  _If I Were A Boy._ Everyone at the table, excluding Camila, chooses a song to sing, even Lauren.

“You sing?” Camila asks, not expecting her participation.

“Only when I'm worried my girlfriend will run out of good blackmail to use against me.”

“I don't have  _any_ blackmail.”

“Exactly.”

Camila elbows Lauren lightly and she grabs her side afterward, pretending to be in pain.

“Just because we're at  _Cesar_ Goodies doesn't mean you have permission to stab me,” Lauren scolds.

“I think we know which one of us is the real traitor here,” Camila counters, referring to Lauren leaving her to fend for herself as the only one not singing karaoke.

Their play bickering is interrupted when one of Normani's friends Lauren only knows as an acquaintance cuts in randomly.

“Hey Lauren, didn't you use to seize her goodies,” she wonders casually, gesturing toward a woman across the room in a booth who is smiling brightly and sitting on one of the waitress' laps.

Lauren visibly pales when her gaze follows the path given and she finds her ex-girlfriend, Ally, at the end of it. After so many months of washing away Ally's existence it's like seeing a ghost, and her immediate instinct is to get the heck out of there.

“I need some fresh air,” she mumbles softly before getting up from the table and breaking for the nearest exit.

Normani notices Lauren leaving from the corner of her eye as she is discussing what they should add to the list for a group song and she turns away from the conversation to observe a visibly confused Camila.

“What just happened?”

Camila shakes her head.

“I have no idea,” she admits, concerned. All the while she is contemplating whether to go after Lauren or not.

“Ally's here,” Normani's friend reveals, pointing in the direction of her booth again.

“Fuck, this is not good,” Normani tells them, her expression turning serious.

“That's Ally? Lauren's ex?” Camila asks while taking a good look from afar at the woman who broke Lauren's heart.

Normani nods while giving Camila a sympathetic look.

“There's a chance Lauren might still be in love with her,” Normani discloses regretfully, “I thought she would be over it by now, but they didn't give each other much closure. Please don't take it the wrong way if she still has feelings to work out. She really likes you, Camila. It's just that...well...when Lauren falls, she falls hard and it takes time to get pulled back out when you're in that deep.”

Camila takes a deep breath and finally decides her best move would be to find Lauren.

“It's fine. I'll go talk to her,” she announces before sliding her way out from her position at the table and following the same path she saw Lauren take to the exit.

It doesn't take Camila very long to find Lauren. She is leaning against one of the building's walls around the corner where it's mostly dark because one of the lights that usually comes on in that area has burnt out. Lauren doesn't say anything right away, sliding down the wall into a sitting position upon observing Camila approaching. Camila takes it as an invitation to sit beside her, so she joins Lauren on the ground and lets the silence linger between them until she's ready to say something.

The first words out of Lauren's mouth are an apology.

“I'm sorry.”

Camila shakes her head and looks over at Lauren so their eyes can meet.

“There's no reason to apologize,” Camila insists.

“I can't decide.”

“What?”

“Whether it will hurt more if she approaches me and we half ass an empty conversation or if she chooses not to acknowledge me at all,” Lauren elaborates.

“I think you're leaving out a third option,” Camila replies matter-of-factly.

“Humor me.”

“Going back in there and showing her how great of a time you're having with your best friends and your new girlfriend. Reminding her of the amazing woman she's missing out on,” Camila encourages.

On that note, Camila lifts herself up away from the wall and reaches out a hand to support Lauren so she can get up as well.

“I hope you're ready for some PDA then,” Lauren warns.

“If only you were more attractive so I wouldn't have to try so hard” Camila laments, followed by a wink as the couple walks back inside with their hands locked comfortably together. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Twelve**

 

Half of Normani's birthday group is coming off stage and cooling down from a hyper performance of Wannabe by the Spice Girls when their food arrives and the waitress asks about grabbing them a second round of drinks. Lauren is the first to get in on another round, requesting a long island iced tea, and as the night progresses her drink count rises as well. Camila stops at the first drink and maintains her sobriety despite how truly awful some of the karaoke singers from other tables prove themselves to be.

When Lauren's turn comes around Camila worries about her girlfriend's ability to stand, but she demonstrates the true extent of her alcohol tolerance when she manages to sing through Marilyn Manson's version of _Sweet Dreams_ without a flaw. If Ally Hernandez was clueless to sharing an evening in the same building as Lauren Jauregui before, she definitely figured it out after her ex-girlfriend turned the restaurant nearly silent with her strong, husky vocals. By the time Lauren returns to her seat other patrons, strangers are clapping and Camila is left speechless.

“Damn, I'd hate to follow that,” Normani tells Lauren, breaking the ice as the next person on the list gets up on stage and waits for their song's lyrics to load onto the screen.

Lauren shrugs before shaking her glass, observing the ice cubes swirling around between what little liquid is left. She waits for the next opportunity to order a drink as she drowns out the current singer and attempts to be subtle about checking Ally's table. Camila sees what direction Lauren shifts her head and tries to redirect her attention by placing a hand on her thigh. It has the intended effect.

“Do you think she's prettier than me?” Camila whispers into Lauren's ear once she has turned around to face her again, her hand unmoving.

“No,” Lauren answers almost instantly, a sign she doesn't need to give it a second thought.

“Then why are your eyes over there,” Camila wonders while pointing to Ally's table, “when my face is over here.”

“Because sometimes beauty fades the longer you linger on it.”

“I'm not sure I follow,” Camila confesses.

“Look at it this way. If you stare at one thing too long, asking too many questions, the appeal dissipates as your confusion and frustration from attempting to explain it grows. You can't replicate what it was like to be captivated that first time until you've been deprived of the image long enough to forget the details,” Lauren explains.

“Has anyone ever told you you're a lunatic when you're drunk?” Camila accuses with a smirk.

“If they had would I remember?” Lauren challenges.

“I surrender. You get the point this round, Jauregui.”

Dinah takes their focus away from each other when she slides a full glass of an unknown beverage in front of them.

“You love birds can share. This round is on me,” she announces.

Lauren takes a gulp without hesitation.

“It's a tequila sunrise. Do you want some?” Lauren offers while holding out the glass toward Camila.

“No thanks,” Camila replies, although torn between wanting to keep herself sober and avoiding Lauren getting more intoxicated, the latter already showing signs of being a lost cause.

The next time the waitress comes around Lauren has excused herself to the restroom, so Camila takes the opportunity to request for them to transfer Lauren's tab to her card and close them out. She also asks for a pitcher of water and is pouring Lauren a glass when she comes back.

“Yo Lauren, you gonna let your girl cut you off like that?” Dinah teases in a voice obnoxiously louder than normal when she sees the water set out in front of them.

“I dunno what you're talking about, D. I was 'bout to order this myself,” Lauren insists, chugging her first glass and pouring herself another to prove a point.

Camila shakes her head at their ridiculousness before the waitress appears with the check and hands her a pen to use for the signature line. Lauren peeks over at the itemized list and the total bill, surprised.

“You're paying for all that?”

“Consider it a gift...I'm now officially covered for your birthday, Christmas, Valentine's, and the first couple anniversaries,” Camila lists off the first few present-centered events and holidays easily.

“Cheapskate,” Lauren deadpans.

Their banter goes on for a while until they make an effort to get back into conversation with the rest of their group and catch up on anything they missed while off in their own world. The guys at the table join forces and add themselves to the karaoke list for _Bye Bye Bye_ by NSYNC which turns out to be one of the most entertaining group performances of the night. It creates such a buzz at their table that Camila is completely sucked into reminiscing about boybands with the other women, causing her to miss who is coming on stage for the next song.

Lauren's full attention remains on the stage as Ally, and the waitress she was using as a seat earlier, begin a duet on the song _Beautiful Liar_ by Beyonce and Shakira. Ally's impression of Shakira is just as on point as she remembers it. She's flooded with memories until somehow the two former flames make eye contact and Lauren's mind temporarily goes blank. Eventually Ally looks away and Lauren composes herself, grateful that it doesn't appear anyone noticed her previous trance. Lauren attempts to listen to the voices around her and become a part of the chatter again, but she is soon distracted by feeling a pair of eyes looking toward her from the stage. She finds it difficult to refuse acknowledging the attention, so she takes advantage of it instead.

Camila is cut off mid-sentence by a tap on her shoulder and the name “Camz” rolling off Lauren's tongue from behind her. When she turns around Lauren has left almost no gap between their bodies and is leaning forward at an alarming pace. There is very little warning between when she first notices emerald green orbs staring into her own chocolate brown and when unfamiliar lips collide with hers. Her eyes close on instinct. The minimal pressure of the kiss exposes Lauren's ambivalence, so Camila pushes the limit a little farther by kissing back to indicate she's on board with it. Lauren begins to pull away first but Camila stops her in her tracks. She follows Lauren as her head is moving backwards and catches up to recapture her lips, half-sitting on Lauren's lap in the process.

Tyler whistles and Dinah hollers at them to get a room before they mutually separate and Camila shifts back into her regular seat so she is no longer straddling Lauren. Ally has already left the stage by the time Lauren glances back up, and she finds herself giving fewer fucks by the minute as she replays what just happened in her mind. Camila seems unconcerned as she lets the next several comments their friends make about the public display of affection slide. By the time everyone prepares to leave the restaurant, it's old news to everyone except the fabricated couple.

They are out in the parking lot arranging rides home and Lauren is finally over her limit, having still managed to get her hands on one last drink after the kiss when one of Normani's friends offered to cover last call. Her arm is locked with one of Camila's, the smaller woman struggling to avoid sending them both to the ground whenever Lauren's balance wavers.

“Do you mind Lauren going with you? Carter is taking Dinah home and dropping Tyler and I off at his place on the way,” Normani asks as they are nearing Camila's car.

“Camz will take me home,” Lauren speaks up, deciding for her. Camila has no objection, already assuming it's what she would end up doing anyway.

When they get in the car Lauren struggles with her seat belt, so Camila reaches over and helps click it into place for her.

“I only have one rule about letting drunk people in my car. If you think you're going to throw up, please tell me to pull over,” Camila instructs, looking over at Lauren before pulling out of the parking space to confirm she is clear on her rule.

“Got it,” Lauren mumbles as she lets her head fall to the right and land against the window where it rests for the duration of the ride.

They make it to Camila's apartment without incident. She can tell Lauren is ready to pass out when it's time to get out of the car, so she shakes her gently.

“Come on, Lo. You're too heavy to carry. Get up,” Camila encourages, worried about the cold temperature if, in a worst case scenario, she was forced to leave Lauren in the car for the night.

Lauren grumbles as she unfastens her seat belt clumsily and exits the vehicle at a slow pace.

“Let's get inside and get you to bed.”

It takes about 10 minutes to get up to Camila's apartment after pausing several times on the stairs and in the hallway. Once inside, she helps Lauren take off and hang up her jacket.

“Can you hang out right here for like one minute?” Camila requests as Lauren leans against the wall nearest to the front door. “I am going to change into something more comfortable and I'll find you something too.”

Lauren stays put until Camila comes back to the living room wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved top. She is holding a similar pair of pants and a t-shirt for Lauren.

“Do you think you can manage on your own?”

Lauren grabs the clothes from Camila and shrugs.

“I'll try,” she agrees before walking down toward Camila's bedroom, occasionally touching the wall to keep herself steady.

Camila gives her a head start of about five minutes before knocking on the door to check up on her.

“Lauren, are you dressed?” She asks as she reaches out to twist the handle, opening the door just slightly as not to startle her.

“Not quite,” Lauren admits as Camila finds her standing with just the t-shirt on, in the beginning stages of putting the pants on backwards.

“Here, try this,” Camila offers, laying the pajama pants on the ground so the holes at the bottom of the legs are clearly visible. “Just step into the holes and we'll lift them up.”

Lauren does as told and Camila helps her pull the pants up to her waist so she doesn't get dizzy from bending over and straightening herself out too quickly.

“Thank you,” Lauren tells Camila sincerely before getting into the same side of the bed she had slept on when staying over before.

“Just don't make it a habit,” Camila pleads, although she knows any promise Lauren makes right now is unlikely to have any follow through.

Camila gets into bed and turns out the light, expecting Lauren to fall asleep right away. She is reflecting on the evenings events when she hears and sees movement in front of her. She accepts the other woman's embrace when Lauren creeps up and snuggles into her.

“I've wanted to do this again ever since the last time,” Lauren reveals, a content smile on her face as she closes her eyes and focuses on the warmth of Camila's body.

“Me, too,” Camila whispers to nobody in particular as Lauren's breathing slows and the soft sound of snoring fills the room. 


	13. Chapter 13

Sidebar: In reference to alcohol consumption and the use of pain killers. It's common to mix the two, but research suggests it can have negative affects long term, especially if done often. Depending on the type of pain killer (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, etc.) the amount of damage to your liver or irritation to the stomach lining may increase based on this mixture. For the sake of storytelling, neither Camila nor Lauren are aware of this research. However, I couldn't bring myself to let them get away with it unless I stated this information first. Now I can move forward feeling like a responsible adult.

 

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Lauren groans at the light hitting her eyes when she awakes in Camila's bed. She immediately shuts them again and rolls over so she is no longer facing the window with blinds slightly cracked open. The pressure around her temples is indicative of a hangover and it's a familiar, but unwelcome feeling. Minutes pass before she is brave enough to attempt using her vision again, prompted by the sound of Camila entering the bedroom and the smell of freshly cooked breakfast.

“Good morning,” Camila greets while displaying a plate of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

Lauren's mind registers as eager to devour the delicious food overtaking her senses, but her stomach disagrees.

“Oh God...” Lauren trails off as she sits up too quickly, resulting in a spell of dizziness and a wave of nausea.

Camila shows a look of concern before setting the breakfast plate on top of her dresser and walking over to sit on the bed beside Lauren who appears in a daze as she's trying to decide whether she actually needs to throw up or not. She reaches out her free hand to tuck some loose strands of hair behind Lauren's ear before rubbing the side of her forehead with the pad of her thumb.

“Does that help? I have some water here, too,” Camila offers, holding the glass forward where it's within easy reach.

Lauren accepts the water, brings it to her lips, and swallows the first couple sips cautiously. Camila withdraws her hand from her face and Lauren finds herself missing the contact. She can barely think with the way her head is pounding, or else she would come up with a way to ask for Camila to resume what she was doing without the risk of crossing a line. Instead she focuses on finishing the glass of water and fighting off the dehydration from her binge drinking. Once it is empty, Camila retrieves the empty glass and brings it back to her kitchen, leaving Lauren to drag herself out of bed.

When she finally stands, she instantly regrets it as the nausea increases tenfold and results in an immediate voyage to the nearest toilet. Camila overhears as the contents of Lauren's stomach make a hasty exit from her body. It's one of her least favorite sounds, but she stands outside the bathroom door and waits for a long pause to check on her.

“Is there anything I can do for you, Lo?” Camila asks after the toilet has been flushed and Lauren has turned on the sink.

“Take a picture of how I look right now and show it to me the next time I try to order more drinks than I should?” Lauren suggests after opening the door for Camila and turning to look at herself in the mirror.

“You're welcome to take a shower when you feel up to it. I try not to plan anything on Sundays so you won't be holding me back or anything if you stay a while.”

Lauren nods slowly while rubbing her forehead.

“Thanks. Do you have any pain killers?”

“Sure, I'll check what all I have,” Camila agrees, opening the cabinet in front of her where she keeps pills and other miscellaneous bathroom supplies.

She takes out a bottle of Advil and shakes it to listen for the sound of pills rattling against it to verify there are some left.

“Come sit in the living room. I'll get you another glass of water,” Camila insists, taking the bottle of Advil with her as she exits the bathroom. Lauren has no reason to protest, so she follows Camila out to the living room and makes herself comfortable in a recliner.

It is mid afternoon by the time Lauren feels like she can function again. Camila ends up reheating her breakfast food for her after she has taken a shower and borrowed some day clothes. They mutually agree that it would be a good day to finish their Orange is the New Black marathon, so Camila sets up her TV as Lauren finishes eating.

“I owe you so much after last night and today,” Lauren admits after putting her plate away and returning to fill the space beside Camila on the couch.

“Yeah you do,” Camila confirms with a grin.

“I'm being serious though. Does Dinah even realize how lucky she is to snag someone as amazing as you for a best friend? Nobody has taken care of me like this before,” Lauren tells her honestly.

“Not even Ally?” Camila wonders, forgetting her filter, not certain why she has the desire to set herself apart from Lauren's ex-girlfriend when they're not really dating.

“Nope. Don't get me wrong, she wouldn't have left me to die in a ditch somewhere or anything like that. But with all of her positivity I felt like a burden anytime I wanted to be negative about something. So I wouldn't admit it when I needed a pick-me-up.”

“I tend to pick up on emotions fairly well, and I always look out for people I care about. It's one of those instincts that just kicks in for me,” Camila explains.

Lauren experiences an internal flutter when Camila mentions caring about her. In the midst of constructing a romantic storyline for themselves they haven't communicated much about the friendship that inevitably evolved in the background. She is already questioning where that friendship stands for her after recalling their kiss and realizing what little reservation she would have if Camila initiated another one right now.

Lauren notices movement in front of her as Camila is waving a hand to get her attention. She spaced out when she began walking her memory back through the previous night, and now she's embarrassed to discover her gaze has fixed itself toward Camila's lips. Luckily, they begin to move as Camila starts talking again, and it doesn't appear she is uncomfortable, so she must not have observed anything out of the ordinary.

“Are you feeling all right? I think I lost you there for a minute.”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Lauren plays off coolly, “just trying to remember if I did anything last night that Normani might have filmed and kept as blackmail. You'd tell me, right?”

“The only thing she might have filmed was the karaoke and if she posted that online I think it'd launch your career, not your execution,” Camila reasons, still not over how Lauren's vocals had exceeded her expectations and put most of the other karaoke enthusiasts' voices to shame.

“Maybe they never were trying to set us up to date. Perhaps this was really a scheme to force me into getting signed by your label so I'll become rich, thank them, and share part of my fortune.”

Camila laughs at the absurdity.

“I have about as much pull at HYPE-R Records as a Serf in Medieval Europe. If I so much as suggested to Stella she should hear my girlfriend sing the next letter she'd instruct me to write would be my own resignation.”

“From HYPE-R to Homeless: The Camila Cabello Story. This could be my breakthrough biography!” Lauren entertains with a smirk.

Camila shakes her head.

“If you wrote about me as your subject we'd both be out a job. The bookstore would be too ashamed to keep you around as an employee with such a flop reputation.”

“You're right. Let's rewind and stick to writing this romance novel.”

Lauren reaches out to intertwine their hands and leans her head so it's resting on Camila's shoulder.

“All right, Sappy, but if my arm goes numb in the process I'm unstanning Camren.”

“I'll take my chances,” Lauren concludes, continuing to snuggle into Camila as she hits the play button on the remote to resume their marathon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Fourteen**

 

On Monday Lauren is updating the inventory list at the bookstore based on their newest shipment when she hears heels clicking on the floor to indicate someone is approaching. When the sound ceases Lauren looks up from what she is working on and sees Ally standing on the other side of the counter.

“May I help you find something?” Lauren asks politely, attempting to keep the interaction professional.

“I'm looking for closure,” Ally summarizes.

“Can't say I'm familiar with that title. Do you know the genre?” Lauren presses for more information as she shifts some books from one stack to another, pretending to keep working.

“Please meet with me for a few minutes?” Ally insists, not willing to play along.

“I already took my last break,” Lauren lies easily.

“Just this once, Lauren. I won't bother you again,” Ally promises.

“Fine, let's grab a coffee at the cafe then. Your treat?”

Ally agrees to Lauren's terms and they walk together toward the cafe's entrance. Lauren finds them a table while Ally orders their drinks. The service is prompt because there are no other patrons at the moment, so it takes less than five minutes for them to be seated together and ready to talk again.

“Why now?” Lauren opens with the first question that pops into her head. “For months I didn't see or hear from you, and now I've ran into you twice in one week. What's changed?”

“Saturday was a coincidence. I think it's also a sign. We've both moved on now, so it seems like the right time to tie up any loose ends between us,” Ally explains.

“I didn't want to move on, Ally,” Lauren reminds her, “you left me no other choice.”

“I could have handled it better. I know. I didn't mean for you to find out the way you did.”

“What does it matter how I found out? You think admitting it to my face would have changed the outcome? I still would have left,” Lauren asserts.

Ally stares down into her open coffee cup while her fingers dance along the rim.

“I cared about you, Lauren, but where we left off didn't show it. I should have been upfront with you about my feelings the moment I became overwhelmed. My parents were pressuring me to settle down. They thought since we already lived together that I should propose and plan to start a family. The more I pictured us in that scenario, the less confident I felt about our future. Instead of having an honest discussion with you about the doubts I had, which is what you deserved, I distanced myself.”

“You took for granted how much I trusted you. I hope I'm never that naive again.”

“It's true that I didn't deserve your trust, but that doesn't mean there isn't someone else out there who will. I'm glad you're seeing someone again. I didn't want to re-open old wounds, and that was my primary motive for waiting so long to contact you like this. Approaching you seemed easier knowing that you weren't still hung up on us,” Ally reasons.

Lauren scoffs as she pushes her near-empty coffee cup into the middle of the table.

“I never thought you were selfish before I found out you cheated on me, and now the evidence keeps stacking up. How can you pretend to regret the effects your actions had on my feelings then turn around and admit avoiding me because you didn't want to handle my reaction to those feelings?”

Ally forces herself to look up and make eye contact with Lauren again.

“I didn't want to give you any false hope about fixing our relationship and making a fresh start. I thought I was doing you a favor by not contacting you after you moved out,” Ally defends.

“Believe it or not, I respect myself enough that getting back together was the farthest option from my mind. I don't know why I waited so long for an apology or why I thought that's something I wanted in the first place,” Lauren replies quietly while simultaneously checking the clock on the wall in the background.

“I genuinely want you to be happy, Lauren. I am convinced we served a purpose for each other, between bending the rules in the beginning and discovering conflicting values in the end, it was a necessary learning curve. I hope your new girlfriend realizes she's won the lesbian lottery dating a woman like you.”

“Am I supposed to be flattered? Prizes get thrown away. You taught me that,” Lauren replies with a bitter laugh before standing up from the table to excuse herself and return to work.

“Lauren, wait,” Ally calls after her as she starts to walk away.

Lauren pauses and turns around, deciding to deliver one last push for Ally to leave her alone.

“All I did for months was wait, Ally. Time kept going but I was standing still. I'm finally changing that, opening up to this amazing woman I've only known three weeks. Thank you for giving up on me. Now I'm free to be with someone who accepts me, even when I'm not happy.”

Ally nods guiltily but doesn't say anything, taking the hint that their conversation is over, and that it will probably be their last.

Lauren stays later than her normal shift to make up for the time she met with Ally. It's around 4:30pm when she leaves the bookstore and checks her phone. She has an unread text message from Camila.

_ Monday should be banned. Stella hasn't had a day off in at least a month and it shows. If you don't hear from me again, send help. (2:34 PM) _

Lauren types out a reply from the driver's seat of her car before taking off for her apartment. 

_ If you get rid of Monday, Tuesday would become the new Monday. Although I agree today can go away. (4:32 PM) _

Normani is blasting the radio from her bedroom when Lauren gets home, so she has to knock extra loud on her door to get her attention.

“Sorry Laur, did you need me to turn it down?” She asks after opening her bedroom door and greeting her roommate.

“Do you have a minute? I want to talk about something,” Lauren admits tentatively.

“Sure, what's up?” Normani replies after turning the music off and welcoming Lauren into her room.

They sit on opposite ends of Normani's bed as Lauren considers what to say.

“Ally came into the bookstore today.”

“I know. She called me to ask if you still work there,” Normani confesses.

“And you couldn't have warned me?” Lauren accuses, feeling slightly betrayed.

“It was long overdue. The two of you did talk, right?”

“We did. I should have went back to our old place and visited her months ago, as soon as I was cooled down. There's nothing she had to say that was worth all the time I wasted on self-pity. I hate to admit this, but you were right. I am ready to move on and date someone again,” Lauren concludes.

“Well, I sure hope so, or else you'd have a lot of explaining to do with Mila,” Normani jokes.

Lauren looks down at her lap and picks at a loose thread on her jeans.

“Yeah, about that...”

Normani interrupts what Lauren was almost certain was going to end up being a confession of a truth she shouldn't tell without consulting Camila first.

“You don't have to thank me or Dinah and I promise not to rub it in with an 'I told you so,' okay?”

Lauren nods, pretending that's the direction she meant to go with the conversation.

“I appreciate it,” she replies, leaving it at that.

“Do you have plans with Tyler tonight or should I cook dinner for two?” Lauren adds as she gets up from Normani's bed.

“Ty has practice tonight. He's coaching a baseball league at the youth center.”

“Dinner for two it is,” Lauren announces before heading for the kitchen to start cooking.

Two days later, on Wednesday morning, Dinah receives a phone call from a frantic Camila.

“Di, I need your advice,” Camila requests while pacing her office.

“Oh so now you can make phone calls from work, but I can't make phone calls to you at work?” Dinah points out with faux attitude.

“I'm being serious right now. This is kinda a big deal. Consider it an emergency,” she declares while forcing herself to sit back in her office chair.

“A'ight, lay it on me.”

“Stella has finally put her foot down and is asking for the weekend off. Apparently there's this big outdoor rock gig featuring several unsigned bands scheduled this Saturday, and the label is short on strong acts in this genre. So they are offering for me to go in her place. All expenses are covered, but it's eight hours driving round trip,” Camila explains.

“I am failing to see the problem here. GO GO GO!” Dinah encourages.

“Of course I am going! That's definitely not the question.”

“Spill it then.”

“Should I invite Lauren to come along?” Camila wonders, staring at the two event passes her boss laid out on her desk.

“Nah chick, ditch your boo and bring the true bae,” Dinah teases, referring to herself.

“You don't even like this type of music. Lauren loves it,” Camila counters.

“Exactly. You already made up your mind so why're you askin' me?”

“Do you think she'll feel obligated to say yes even if she doesn't want to go?” Camila reveals her insecurity.

“Your girlfriend bleeds rock n roll and is obviously sprung on you. She's not going to say no unless there's a reason she can't go,” Dinah assures her.

Camila blushes, grateful she is alone in her office.

“You're right. We're going out to the comedy club tonight. I'll ask her then.”

After Camila gets off the phone with Dinah business carries on as usual for the rest of the day. She meets up with Lauren at the same comedy club they had planned to attend for amateur night the previous week. Most of the acts turn out to be rather impressive, nobody taking up longer than ten minute performance intervals, allowing many people the opportunity to sign up. Although they laugh several times throughout the evening, Lauren picks up on another vibe from Camila. She seems uneasy, distracted, and it appears to get worse when she reaches out to hold her hand in the middle of the show. When they leave the club, Lauren asks Camila to go on a walk with her and she is relieved when her invitation isn't declined.

They have walked a few blocks before Lauren confronts Camila about her unusual behavior.

“Is something wrong, Camz?” Lauren asks quietly as they turn right to stay on a main street with adequate lighting.

Camila shakes her head.

“No, sorry to worry you. It's only nerves,” she replies honestly.

“Why are you nervous?”

Lauren pauses and faces her girlfriend with curiosity.

“I've been waiting all day to ask you something.”

“Go on then,” Lauren presses, despite her own nerves creeping up about the possibilities of what it could be.

“Would you be interested in attending Rock Shock with me this weekend?” Camila spills, reaching into her jacket pocket to produce her extra pass.

“The festival like 200 miles east of here that's been sold out since February?” Lauren asks in awe as Camila presses the pass into her hand.

“That's the one,” Camila confirms.

“Are you kidding me? I've been trying to get down there since I turned 18, but the timing and pricing has never been right. Why were you nervous? Even if I had other plans I would have turned them down for this!”

Camila bites her lip before offering more details.

“Technically I'll be working. I'm taking Stella's place. It's my first time having an active roll in the recruitment process, being expected to interact with the bands and represent HYPE-R Records. I know I've complained about wanting this chance in the past, but now that I have it I'm actually terrified.”

They resume walking as they continue their discussion.

“Don't worry about it. I've got you covered, babe,” Lauren offers, confident in her abilities to navigate the scene at Rock Shock.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Camila pops open her trunk outside Lauren's apartment on Friday evening as they prepare to take off for the weekend. Lauren's large duffel bag squeezes in beside Camila's suitcase with room to spare.

“Good thing Dinah's shoe obsession isn't contagious or luggage would be a nightmare,” Camila muses as she closes the trunk and gestures for Lauren to get into the car.

“It's only two nights though. That's hardly worth dragging out your entire closet,” Lauren replies as she is buckling her seat belt in the passenger seat.

“The world needs more reasonable human beings like you,” Camila teases as she switches her headlights on and turns the key to start the car.

“Just don't get any bright ideas about cloning me. The last thing we need is an identity crisis about who's the real Lauren Jauregui.”

“We better think of some difficult test questions to put the fake Lauren on blast just in case,” Camila suggests.

They joke about potential questions for the first several minutes of the car ride until they reach the freeway and begin their journey outside of the city. Eventually Camila turns the radio on and they sing along for a while, keeping themselves entertained. It's just over an hour into the car ride when some of their energy beings to wear off and they return to normal conversation.

“I did research on all the bands that will be at Rock Shock. I checked their web pages and fan sites. There are are a few I've heard before from suggested videos on YouTube. I came up with a couple possible schedules we can follow to guarantee you catch the best sets,” Lauren explains while pulling out a notebook from her messenger bag she brought along to keep with her in the front seat.

“Which one of us is supposed to be working this weekend again?” Camila asks with a raised eyebrow upon learning of Lauren planning details for them.

“When I said I'd have you covered, I meant it. I'm not going to freeload on this trip without at least contributing to its purpose for you in some way.”

“All right, so summarize it for me. What should be our game plan tomorrow?”

Camila keeps her attention on the road while also listening to Lauren brief her on the details about how they'll structure their Saturday. They occasionally get sidetracked as Lauren attempts to describe the sound and fanbase of specific bands she took notes on, and Camila asks questions as they arise.

When they make their first rest stop they are over halfway to their destination and in need of a stretch. Lauren grabs a snack from the vending machines while Camila braves the public restroom. It's already dark so they decide not to wander too far on their short walk before getting back into the car.

The last hour and a half of the car ride is mostly filled with random road trip games suggested by an app on Lauren's smartphone mixed in with small talk about their friends and work. They check into their hotel room around 11 PM, making them grateful once again that they both packed light because they would be too exhausted to carry anything otherwise.

“Does Stella always get assigned to a suite?” Lauren wonders after they've entered their room, set down their bags, and taken a peek around.

“I guess so. I've never asked. I honestly expected a regular room with a double bed or something,” Camila admits.

“I could get used to this,” Lauren concludes after kicking off her shoes and hopping onto the king size bed, elbows extended behind her head with her hands supporting it above the pillows.

“I'm gonna get changed into pajamas. If we get up early enough I think we're allowed to order room service for breakfast,” Camila adds while grabbing clothes from her suitcase then zipping it back up.

“This is like my dream honeymoon, ” Lauren confesses as she takes in her surroundings and thinks about the day full of indie rock music ahead of them.

“Except there's no marriage to consummate, so be careful where you put your hands tonight,” Camila warns before exiting the main room and closing the bathroom door behind her.

Once Camila returns, Lauren takes her turn getting ready for bed. She turns off the main light switch on her way back to the king size paradise, and once they are both properly tucked in Camila turns off the small lamp closest to her side of the bed. The gap between them is larger than when they share Camila's bed and neither of them makes a move to close it, although doing so crosses both their minds. They exchange their 'good nights' and end up falling asleep without any part of their bodies touching.

Lauren is the first to wake up before Camila's alarm comes on. At some point in the night she had managed to bring herself to Camila's side of the bed, and she is almost spooning her from behind. She gently pushes herself away and returns to her own side, not wanting to be caught for subconsciously gravitating toward the other woman in her sleep. Her attempts to fall back asleep are unsuccessful, so she gets up as quietly as possible and decides to take a shower.

Camila's alarm goes off right after Lauren finishes her shower. Lauren is on the other side of the room, wrapped in a towel, and digging through her bag for her Rock Shock outfit when Camila shuts it off, sits up, and rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“I want banana pancakes,” Camila announces, noticing Lauren's figure from the corner of her eye before full vision has kicked in.

“Do you want me to bring you the menu?” Lauren offers, her clothes for the day now bundled under her right arm and ready to be put on.

“Yes please,” she agrees, a childlike glint appearing in her eyes from the excitement of ordering room service for the first time.

When Camila finally picks up on the fact that Lauren's retreating figure is hidden only by a towel, her mind quickly switches gears on her, and she curses under her breath at where her imagination takes her.

“Damn it,” she mumbles, and to her embarrassment Lauren picks up on it as she turns around and proceeds to bring her the menu.

“What's wrong?” Lauren asks, standing beside the bed with a look of genuine concern.

“Oh I just um...I remembered I forgot to bring my uh...my lucky bra,” Camila makes up on the spot, trying to keep her eyes looking above Lauren's shoulders.

Lauren snickers, unable to contain her amusement. Camila swings the menu at her, shooing her away.

“Go get dressed and stop making fun of me,” she commands.

“That's so unfortunate,” Lauren tries to deliver with a straight face, but fails miserably as she continues smirking on her way to the bathroom.

Lauren calls room service while Camila is in the shower and their food is delivered by the time they're both completely dressed and ready for the day. Camila gets the banana pancakes she wanted and Lauren gets strawberry crepes. They sit on opposite sides of the two-seat dining table positioned beside the sliding balcony doors in their room.

“You might have been onto something about this honeymoon thing. I'm tasting heaven right now,” Camila comments after taking the first couple bites of her breakfast.

“Me too, can we do this every weekend?”

“Are you proposing that we become serial honeymooners?”

Lauren almost chokes on the bit of crepe she's swallowing.

“Has someone tried that?” Lauren wonders after drinking half a glass of water and composing herself again.

“If they have they must not get caught because that would make headlines for sure,” Camila reasons.

Lauren nods in agreement before taking a couple more bites of deliciousness.

“You know, I was thinking about it, and this weekend pretty much marks our one month anniversary,” Lauren points out once they are almost down to nothing left on their plates.

“That means we're about halfway done with this whole plan, right?”

Lauren's stomach twists at the reminder that they're still playing roles and that there's a deadline.

“Yeah, I guess that would be about right,” she manages to reply without giving away any particular emotion.

“Do you think we're on track? Dinah already treats us like we're her OTP. What about Normani?”

“Similar to Dinah, I suppose. She's really happy for me...for us,” Lauren reveals.

“We should probably create a fluffy anniversary story to tell them when we get back. Is that why you mentioned it?”

“Yes. Exactly,” Lauren lies, “We can make up the details on our road trip home.”

Camila agrees to the idea before the subject changes. They spend the rest of the morning finalizing their game plan for Rock Shock, and Lauren's enthusiasm for the event overshadows her disappointment from realizing the unreciprocated feelings she can no longer deny having for Camila.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Sixteen**

 

Lauren and Camila arrive at Rock Shock just before the first round of bands are set to perform. There are a total of six stages spread throughout the venue so immediately after presenting their passes at the gates, Lauren grabs their map while Camila holds the schedule they wrote out for themselves.

“ _Lava Water_ is going to be on Stage 4 in about 15 minutes,” Camila reads from the top of their itinerary.

“Can you check the program they just gave us for _Rust the Nail_? Their appearance wasn't confirmed on the official website, but I got a tip from Twitter that someone spotted them here. It could just be one of their members attending in the audience though.”

Camila tucks the itinerary under her arm and opens the program as requested by Lauren. She scans the pages which list the bands by time slot. It takes a couple minutes for her to catch their name listed from the corner of her eye, and she points to avoid losing her place.

“They are performing on Stage 2 during the third session,” Camila confirms.

“That's the same session as _Symbiosis_ , I think. We may need to split up.”

“Are you comfortable chatting up one of these groups and buying their EP if they have one? I can reimburse you later.”

Lauren folds up the map and begins to walk in the direction of the first stage as Camila follows, keeping up pace beside her.

“I've met the drummer of _Rust the Nail_. She used to play bass for _Wounded Dreams_ before they split up. I think you should check out their set today, because if her band members are as easygoing as she is you'll barely break a sweat approaching them. As for _Symbiosis_ , I'll be fine starting that conversation. They formed less than a year ago and I am positive they're in no position to turn away any expression of interest in their music,” Lauren explains.

“Thanks again for getting so involved with organizing this. Technically only one of us is supposed to be working, so I hope you still have fun as if you came here on your own under different circumstances,” Camila replies genuinely.

“Don't worry about it. You're helping me cross a major goal off my bucket list right now, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather be sharing this experience with than you.”

Time flies between when they find the stage for the first session and when they are due to split up for the third. The first band, _Lava Water_ , appeals to both their tastes but technical difficulties make their session run over the allotted time, causing them to rush off for their second session at Stage 6. _Barstool_ has a heavier sound and Camila passes on making any effort to meet them. The label would think she lost her mind if she brought them up. Lauren stays behind at Stage 6 to see _Symbiosis_ while Camila books it over to Stage 2 for _Rust the Nail_. They end up outshining both of the previous bands, in Camila's opinion, and her only regret is Lauren not being with her to witness it.

“Hey! I really enjoyed your set. Everyone's energy was fantastic,” Camila compliments after approaching the merchandise table and getting the bands', but mostly the drummer's, attention.”

“Thanks! The adrenaline was definitely flowing through me that time around,” the drummer responds with a smile.

“Have you been on the road much besides this?” Camila asks while casually looking over the track list on the back of their CD.

“This is only our third gig since we finished recording that,” she replies, gesturing toward the case in Camila's hand.

“How much is it?”

“Ten dollars. We'll even sign it for you, if you'd like,” the guy she recognizes as the lead guitarist offers, joining the conversation.

Camila fishes out a $20 bill from her wallet and hands it to him before slipping the CD into her bag.

“That's all right. You can keep the change, too,” she insists, passing up the offer for an autograph because she plans on turning it over to the label anyway.

“Why not take another and gift it to a friend?” Their bassist suggests, holding out another copy of their CD.

Camila thinks of Lauren and accepts the offer, reaching out to place it in her bag before pulling it back slowly.

“Actually, would you mind signing this one?”

All four of the band members agree without any hesitation. The drummer is the last to sign it and when she finishes she surprises Camila by holding it just out of her reach.

“Okay you can have this now, but there's a condition,” she announces with a sly grin.

“What type of condition?” Camila asks with a raised eyebrow, suspicious of her intentions.

“I'd like your number,” she admits boldly.

“Oh um...” Camila begins to respond nervously, unprepared for this scenario. “But I don't even know your name,” she realizes.

The drummer shrugs and holds out her free hand.

“I'm Jennel. And you?”

“Camila,” she introduces, accepting and shaking her hand.

“It's settled then. May I call you, Camila?”

Camila nods and retrieves her phone.

“If you program your number in, I'll text you so you'll have mine,” she promises.

Jennel adds herself to Camila's contacts before giving her phone back.

“Cool, I hope to see you again,” Jennel tells her as they prepare to part ways.

“Me, too,” Camila replies politely before excusing herself, realizing from the clock on her phone that she's already late meeting Lauren for the fourth session.

AN: I realize it probably took you five minutes to read this, but it took me like three hours to write it, so I apologize if it seems so short. I'm just too particular about how I write sometimes. Thank you for reading.   


	17. Chapter 17

 AN: Whoa, some of you sure were passionate in your responses to that last chapter! It's unexpected (and flattering) to know there are readers who are really into this story, and I appreciate it more than I am articulate enough to express. Thank you for sticking with me.

 

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Seventeen**

 

It's after dark when the final session ends and they return to their hotel. Camila unloads her bag and sets all the merchandise she purchased on the same table where they ate breakfast.

“Did you want to go out for dinner or order something here?” Lauren asks while sitting on the edge of their bed to give her body a rest from walking and standing all day.

“Oh um, probably just order here I guess?” Camila replies, distracted by a buzzing from the phone in her pocket.

Lauren lays on the bed so she can scoot back and reach for one of the menus on the nightstand. She begins to look it over while Camila checks her texts. When there was an extended break in the middle of the day's session schedule she had sent a message to Jennel so she would have her number as promised. It took until now to receive a reply, but it's sooner than she expected anyway.

_Me and the guys are kicking it back at one of the local taverns next to where we're staying tonight. I'd love for you to join us. I'll link you to the address just in case. (9:15 PM)_

Camila clicks the link in the most recent message and it brings up the tavern's website which includes a tab for directions. She calculates the distance and it comes out to an estimated eleven minute drive in current, low traffic. It's not that far away, but she looks between her phone and Lauren and hesitates. Jennel's interest in her comes off as flirty and personal whereas her interest in Jennel is supposed to be coming from a business perspective, so the setting seems risky.

“Hey Lo, how well do you actually know that drummer from _Rust the Nail_?” Camila wonders, getting Lauren's attention.

Lauren raises herself into a sitting position again and looks over at Camila with curiosity.

“I haven't seen her since the last time _Wounded Dreams_ played a show, but we talked over drinks a couple times. Why?”

“She is asking me to meet up with her and I'm not sure if I should go,” Camila reveals with a shrug, attempting to appear nonchalant.

Camila catches a glimpse of a frown on Lauren's features, but her expression quickly turns back to neutral.

“It might be a great networking opportunity if you think her band will fit the profile HYPE-R is searching for right now?” She suggests, trying to work the professional angle and ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach coming from memories of how Jennel used to come onto her despite the committed relationship she had with Ally at the time.

“I'd put them in my top three out of all the bands we watched. There's a possibility the label would be interested, but they don't know why I was out there today. Her motive for wanting my number is completely different, I think. Besides, I can't just leave you here by yourself,” Camila reasons.

“I'll go with you,” Lauren offers a little too quickly, “I mean...maybe having me there will help you ease into the conversation about getting signed and all that since she kinda knows me or whatever,” she adds, saving herself from sounding too eager to be a third wheel.

“Okay. If you're sure...” Camila agrees aloud before grabbing her phone to type out a response.

_I'll be there soon. I'm bringing someone. Is that okay? (9:20 PM)_

Camila purposely keeps it vague, preferring to leave out details of Lauren's identity or their relationship status until she has the chance to discuss it with her. Technically, being hours from home and far from the friends they're fooling, it's not a requirement that they keep up appearances. However, that didn't stop Lauren from holding her hand most of the day; and now she is nervous about letting Jennel continue to perceive her as a single woman when she unintentionally stopped recognizing herself that way weeks ago.

“Let's wait a few minutes to see if she responds before we leave. I want to make sure she knows it's not just me showing up.”

Lauren nods in agreement before pushing herself up off the bed and walking over to her bag. She rummages through it for a minute before finding what she's looking for and reaching out to grab it. A gold chain dangles from her hand and Camila's not quite sure what's on it until she walks over to her and allows her a closer look.

“This should help you tonight,” Lauren explains, gesturing for Camila to open her palm where she subsequently drops the necklace carefully.

“A guitar pick?” Camila questions her after further inspection.

“Not just any guitar pick. It's rumored to have belonged to Joan Jett back during The Runaways era. Unfortunately, that's almost impossible to verify. It could very well be just any other ordinary pick purchased at an impractical price. However, I've only ever experienced good luck while wearing it since my dad gifted it to me on my sweet sixteen, so I imagine it's worth a confidence boost at least.”

“Do you always keep this with you or was there a particular way you were hoping to get lucky this weekend?” Camila accuses while wiggling her eyebrows.

Lauren begins to blush as she avoids Camila's eye contact and shakes her head.

“I brought it for you. I meant for you to have it this morning actually,” Lauren reveals, thinking back to when she had brought up their one month anniversary and the conversation went in a different direction than planned. “Here, let me help you put it on?”

Lauren took back the necklace and moved to be in a position behind Camila who lifted her own hair as if placing it into a pony tail so it wouldn't be in the way. Lauren hovered forward so the necklace drifted in front of Camila's face before pulling it toward her neck and playing with the latch until it clicked into place. Camila shivered a little as Lauren's fingertips and the cool metal brushed against the back of her neck, not certain which affected her more. She doesn't have time to contemplate it for very long as her phone buzzes again, indicating a response from Jennel.

_The more the merrier, the guys would say. See you soon, beautiful. ;) (9:30PM)_

Camila puts the phone away in her pocket quickly, not wanting to risk Lauren reading the message over her shoulder. It shouldn't matter if they're not really together, she reminds herself. Then why does she feel so guilty? 

 

AN 2: I know this is short, but I haven't had a moment to myself all week until today (on Christmas, of all days) and have slept so little between work and friend plans I couldn't even spare any of it for writing time like I usually do. Cheers to a day off and Happy Holidays! 


	18. Chapter 18

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Eighteen**

 

The members of _Rust the Nail_ are sitting in a booth shaped like a half-circle when Lauren and Camila arrive at the tavern. Three of the four are laughing about something the other member said before the “couple” is close enough to overhear. When Jennel spots them she smiles and waves. She is sitting toward one of the ends and scoots over, making more room for the guests. Camila sits first, placing her between Jennel and Lauren, before a waitress appears and asks about their drink orders. Lauren asks for a White Russian but Camila orders a Shirley Temple, preferring to avoid putting alcohol in her system if she is really going to attempt a professional conversation tonight.

“Hey Camila, you gonna introduce us to your friend?” Jennel asks, nodding toward Lauren.

“Oh erm...” Camila tries, but is held back by her failure to bring up on their ride over the concern she had about how Lauren wants to present their relationship.

“I'm Lauren. We've actually met before. I was a big fan of _Wounded Dreams_ ,” she reveals, saving Camila from potential embarrassment.

Jennel peeks around Camila to get a better look at Lauren before expressing her recognition.

“That's right. I remember you. You caught our final show at The Well.”

“Yeah. You're Isaac, Taylor, and...Zac, right?” Lauren inquires, trying to remember the details from their band page as she looks over the rest of their company.

The guys take turns raising their hands and confirming who is who, which Lauren is thankful for considering she honestly has no clue. When the waitress returns with their drinks, they order a basket of fries to share and ease into a friendly conversation about the other bands they heard and the overall experience of the day. Once the topic shifts to the rest of their tour plans, Lauren notices Camila's growing nerves and nudges her softly.

“You got this, Camz,” she whispers in her ear softly, making sure Jennel won't overhear as her attention is focused across the table while Zac is talking about being excited to play the same venue where he saw his first concert as a preteen.

“If you don't mind me asking, what's your label status right now?” Camila brings up casually between dipping a fry in ketchup and popping the tasty shred of potato into her mouth.

“We're not signed at the moment. We paid for the studio time to record our album from Isaac's trust fund,” Taylor explains.

“We're going to run out of support soon though. I'm limited on how much I can take out per year,” Isaac adds.

“I know of a label that might be into your sound. But I didn't want to approach them about it without your permission first. If you give me the nod, I'll have your album on an insider's desk by Monday,” Camila proposes.

Jennel turns to face Camila with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you legit? Which label?”

Camila pulls out her employee ID card and slides it across the table so each member of the band has the opportunity to look it over.

“HYPE-R Records? No way,” Jennel replies, obviously familiar with the company and surprised. “You were holding out on us during the festival,” she accuses.

“There wasn't much time between sets as you know, and I didn't want to promise too much in haste. I can put a good word in, but the final decision is up to someone else,” she elaborates.

“I say we toast to it,” Taylor suggests, waving to get the waitress's attention to bring them a couple pitchers of beer.

“To what exactly,” Zac questions.

“To possibilities. Some chance is better than none.”

When the pitchers arrive, Camila voids out her no alcohol policy so she can pour herself half a pint of beer and join in the toast. She goes into detail about what attracts her to their music and she is successful in building a sense of trust between them. Everything seems to be going well up to the point when she excuses herself to use the restroom.

By the time she's at the sink washing her hands, the door slides open and Jennel enters swiftly. Instead of leaning right to enter a stall, she goes left and comes up behind Camila as she's drying her hands with a paper towel and puts her hands around her waist. Jennel's breath tickles the back of her ear before she speaks softly against it.

“If we're going to be working together it's best to get the sexual tension out of the way now, don't you think?”

She guides Camila so she turns around to face her before pushing backward so her body is pressed against the tile wall. Camila barely has a chance to register what's happening before Jennel's greedy lips are covering her own. The shock takes a moment to wear off before Camila shifts her weight so she can separate the kiss and create space between them by sliding to her left while gently pushing Jennel right.

“I can't,” Camila insists, “I'm sorry.”

“If you're worried about mixing business with pleasure, I can keep a secret,” Jennel promises, a devious glint appearing in her eyes.

“It's not that. I just..I...” Camila keeps eye contact with Jennel as she has an internal battle with herself over whether or not to spill the excuse that wants to pour out.

'I have a girlfriend' Camila wants to say. 'In fact, she's sitting right out there waiting for me' She could add. But there's no reason Jennel needs to know about the fake relationship. Even if HYPE-R was interested, by the time they finish their tour plans and go through a studio test the fake break up will already have been staged. If anything she should welcome a no strings hook up to take her mind off the unexpected side effects of agreeing to pretend with Lauren for what the other woman probably still views as only a prank and nothing more. It's not like Jennel is difficult to look at and she definitely knows how to kiss.

“Nevermind,” Camila decides, throwing all reasoning out the window as she grabs Jennel's wrists and pulls her back into her. She subsequently wraps hers hands behind her neck and brings their lips back together.

Caught up in the moment, they continue to make out without concern about being out in the open. Camila begins to take a dominant position as Jennel is trapped between the wall and a sink. She is in the process of wrapping her legs around Camila when the restroom door swings open again, causing them to freeze. Lauren looks at their position with wide eyes before turning around and exiting as quickly as possible. Rather than return to the table with the guys right away, which would seem suspicious, she goes for the exit and lets herself out into the cool night air. It's fairly late for a solo walk, but she'd rather risk the danger than face the awkwardness waiting for her back in the tavern.

Meanwhile, Camila cuts Jennel off from their lustful session.

“Fuck, this is not good,” Camila mumbles, mostly to herself, as she covers her face with her right hand and takes a deep breath.

“Does Lauren work with you? Will she tell your boss?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Camila says while shaking her head.

“Then what's the problem? I'm sure if you explain she'll keep it between the three of us,” Jennel reassures her.

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Camila pretends to agree, knowing she can't possibly explain the true complexity of the situation and certain she wouldn't want to either. “We should just go back to our table and let it go.”

When they return to the table Lauren is still absent and the guys start teasing them, fully aware that something sneaky was going on between the obvious flirting Jennel had done at their merchandise table and the amount of time they had just spent in the restroom. After several more minutes pass with no sign of Lauren, Camila decides to wrap up the conversation they're having about the label and makes an excuse about needing to be fully alert in the morning for the road trip back so she can make a permanent exit. She collects the guys' numbers so she has all their contact info stored up and thanks them when they offer to pick up the full tab.

Camila bumps into Lauren right as she is leaving the tavern.

“Oh there you are,” she states dumbly, a bit thrown off by finding her so easily.

“I really have to pee,” Lauren replies quickly, stepping around her to go back inside the tavern and take care of business.

Camila leans against the wall and waits for Lauren to return. When she does they walk together to her car in silence until they're both inside and buckled up.

“Sorry about that. I just uh...I really needed to go when...yeah,” Lauren apologizes with an unusual stutter.

Camila begins to program the GPS for the route back to their hotel while she responds.

“I think I'm the one who owes you an apology,” she admits.

“I don't blame you for not resisting her advances. Jennel's got a lot going for her. The only thing that ever stopped me was Ally. Considering how that ended, I probably should have went for it anyway,” Lauren confesses with a forced laugh.

“I almost stopped her. I don't know what came over me,” Camila continues, still feeling the need to justify it somehow.

“Did you hear anything I just said? I'm not judging you, Camila,” Lauren tells her bluntly.

“Thank you,” Camila responds quietly as she pulls her car out onto the highway and drives in the direction of their hotel.

They spend the majority of the drive in silence, so Camila turns on the radio to make up for the lack of conversation. She can't shake away the thought that it would be better if Lauren was judging her, or was even a little bit angry, because then at least that might be a sign that she truly cares about her. Lauren is also deep in thought, unable to rid her mind of the image she walked in on and the desire she has to take Jennel's place.

 

AN: Please don't throw tomatoes at me. That's a waste of perfectly good food. Throw inanimate objects that are not edible instead. Preferably something like cotton that's super soft and has a short range, so you have to be close enough that I can hug you and tell you it's going to be okay to distract you from your rage. Did I mention you are all lovely and fabulous? :) PS – If you never saw Jennel Garcia's audition for TXF USA S2, please fix that. Maybe you'll even hate me a little less afterward?  


	19. Chapter 19

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Nineteen**

 

When Camila and Lauren return to their hotel room they're both pretty much beat and go directly into their bedtime routines. Lauren is already falling asleep when Camila tucks herself in and sets their alarm. Camila considers scooting closer but decides against it, figuring the circumstances would make it less welcome than before, so she keeps her space.

The morning comes too quickly, forcing them out of bed so they can pack back up and return to the city. Lauren showers while they wait for their breakfast to be delivered and Camila uses the time to herself to sort through the CDs from the festival. While organizing them she finds the second, signed copy she got from  _ Rust the Nail  _ for Lauren. She leaves it out but packs up the others, minimizing the loose items in the room so they can make a smooth exit before 11 AM checkout.

Their food shows up a few minutes before Lauren exits the bathroom fully clothed and joins Camila at the table. She notices the one CD case lying out on the table between their plates and inquires about it after sitting down and grabbing the proper utensils.

“What you got there?”

“I know this seems like less of a big deal after spending a night out with the band, but I had _Rust the Nail_ sign this for you at their merch table yesterday,” Camila explains between bites of bacon.

Lauren smiles but Camila notices it doesn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

“Thanks, Camz. I kinda feel like a jerk now though cause I didn't get you any souvenirs.”

“This weekend probably would have been a complete disaster without your help. I think I still owe you a lot more,” Camila insists.

“Nah, you don't owe me anything. But there is a request I have...”

“Okay, shoot,” Camila encourages with a nod.

“There's a stop on the way back I'd like to make. It's not too far out of the way and it shouldn't take more than an extra hour of driving time.”

“This is the part where your true colors come out and I discover your life of crime as the next kidnapping victim, hmm?”

Lauren shrugs before setting down her fork and reaching for her glass to take a couple gulps of orange juice.

“We still need a story to tell Normani and Dinah and I think this place will help set the mood.” 

Camila nods as she finishes the bite she's chewing.

“It better be romantic, Jauregui, or Dinah might kick you to the curb for me.”

Lauren concentrates on her plate for a while, using her fork to move pieces of scrambled egg around, trying to make her disappointment seem like a reaction to the dwindling amount of food left and not the fact that she's growing attached to a relationship that was born to die.

 

They are just a little over halfway through the drive home when the GPS directs them off the main highway and toward Lauren's surprise destination.

“I bet the reception out here is terrible,” Camila guesses as she observes the thick forest atmosphere on either side of the road they're taking.

“Expecting an important call?”

“Nope, but if there was an emergency...”

“People survived out here before cell phones, 4G, and Google, believe it or not,” Lauren teases.

“I believe it, but that doesn't mean I want to experience it,” Camila counters as she hesitantly continues to follow the designated path for several miles.

As the dot on the GPS draws closer to the end of the line, Camila gets more and more curious, noting that their surroundings have mostly involved open land with houses or other buildings spread out few and far between.  _ Crescentville _ , a sign reads as they enter the limits of a new town.

“Where are we?” Camila finally asks, confused at what made Lauren want to come to somewhere so underpopulated with no obvious attractions.

“The lost city,” Lauren explains vaguely before telling Camila to take a left where the road splits.

“With a charming nickname like that I can't imagine why we're the only ones out here,” Camila replies sarcastically before eating her words as they approach a small strip of what appears to be the core of the town, a strip of small businesses with a few cars parked in front.

“Can you pull over here? It's okay if you want to wait in the car, but we need to get a map from this corner store.”

Camila follows Lauren's orders and parks by the aforementioned store. She decides not to go in, although being alone in the car isn't really any less creepier. Lauren doesn't take very long to return and when she does, she's smirking and holding a piece of paper.

“We're walking distance now, let's go,” Lauren insists, gesturing for Camila to exit her car and follow her to wherever it is they're going.

“We're in the middle of nowhere. How is anything walking distance?” Camila replies skeptically as she closes the car door behind her.

“Just trust me, okay?” Lauren requests in a hopeful tone while holding out her hand for Camila to take so she can lead the way using the map in her other hand.

Camila takes a deep breath, accepts Lauren's hand, and follows her as they cross the gravel road, walk around the edge of a fence, and approach a path surrounded by two high dirt walls that almost seem like a cave entrance but instead go on for quite a stretch with open sky above them.

“Lauren, have you actually been here before?” Camila wonders as they get deeper into what begins to feel like a maze.

“No, why?”

“Are you sure we're not lost?”

“If I wanted to get lost in the Moon Maze, then I wouldn't have picked up this map. In the interest of time, I didn't want to bother with possible wrong turns and dead ends, although from the looks of it there are plenty,” she explains, pausing to point out a couple examples on the map.

“What's that?” Camila wonders, pointing to an unlabeled section at the top of the map, on the other side of the maze.

“The moon...or what's left of it, I suppose.”

They continue walking, careful to follow the path marked as correct as they carry on with their journey through the maze.

“So how did you come across this place?”

“The bookstore had an anti-tourist handbook in stock a while back. I've always daydreamed about doing a bunch of traveling...but not in a typical way. One of the sections featured quirky, low key places like this one. It's an opportunity to explore something unique without the stress of crowds,” Lauren reveals sheepishly.

“Hmm maybe this has romantic potential after all,” Camila notes, squeezing Lauren's hand and smiling when they make eye contact to display her approval.

Lauren's stomach turns in somersaults and her eyes wander to her feet as she works to avoid Camila's gaze.

“I hope so...because when I began planning these adventures, I never intended to chase them alone.”

 

AN: I am sorry this took forever and isn't even that long. At least Reflection is coming out in two days! But if you're like me you've already been streaming it on repeat all week anyway. I know you've heard it all before, these excuses, but life honestly is kicking my butt right now. Thanks for reading. I'll do my best not to take too long of a hiatus.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Fool Me**

**Chapter Twenty**

 

They reach the end of the maze without incident and come across the main attraction of their adventure, the moon rock. It's colored with several shades of blues and grays, all of which appeal to Lauren's artistic side. Larger than a boulder, but smaller than an airplane, the mysterious piece of the universe stands out its fair share as the couple approaches it with caution.

“What is this made out of?” Camila wonders aloud as she reaches out a tentative index finger to poke at it once they are close enough to touch the rock.

The texture is rough, matching the expectation an onlooker might gather from the visual bumps and cracks throughout its surface.

“The moon perhaps,” Lauren suggests with a quirked eyebrow.

“I doubt this is part of the actual moon. Unless this nowhere town was the inspiration for Chicken Little and the sky really fell here,” Camila replies with obvious skepticism.

“You say that as if nothing ever falls from the sky. Didn't you watch The Land Before Time as a kid? Dinosaurs didn't just disappear, Camila...they were massacred by an object that existed beyond Earth.”

Camila turns around to face Lauren and leans against the rock, allowing some of the jagged pieces to jab her back through her shirt. The sensation is more of a pinch than a stab, almost pleasant.

“I'm always taking time for granted, forgetting that everything with a beginning also has an end. I work so much and let moments slip by me, as if a meteorite couldn't pay us a visit tomorrow and take it all away,” Camila confesses morbidly, closing her eyes as she lets her head fall back against the rock, her whole body now being supported by it.

Lauren stares in silence for a while, switching between pondering Camila's words and absorbing the scene of Camila relaxing against an example of the destroyer in question. She eventually steps forward, minimizing the amount of space between the two of them. Camila's eyes are still closed when Lauren reaches up to push a strand of hair out of her face, and upon feeling the contact she opens them, instantly connecting with pools of green.

“If I told you the moon rock had a twin and it was on its way here now, how would you want to spend these last few minutes?”

Camila's gaze began to move downward, so Lauren reached out to tilt her chin upward to prevent them from breaking eye contact.

“That question isn't fair,” Camila finally whispered, followed by a deep breath as she allowed the rock to dig deeper into her back to create a slightly larger gap between herself and Lauren.

“How do you figure?”

“In this alternative scenario you've created, there would be no consequences when in reality we're about to go back on the road together for several hours where the last thing we need is for things to be awkward.”

Lauren nods and begins to back away.

“You're right. We should continue to pretend that if this was the end of the world we wouldn't be kissing each other senseless.”

Camila pulled herself away from the rock and shook her head.

“We're experts at this make believe stuff, aren't we?”

“Indeed,” Lauren mumbles before leading the way as they circle the moon rock a few times, observing the changes that emerge from one end to the other.

“If we're going to make this seem more romantic for retelling purposes, now would be a good time to joke about how one day I intend to put a rock on your finger more extravagant than this,” Lauren teases as she stretches out her arms in opposite directions for emphasis about the size.

Camila nudges her and points to a tall hill in the distance.

“I'll only marry you if you carry me to the top,” she insists playfully.

“How am I supposed to handle all that exercise when you take my breath away?”

Camila huffs in disbelief.

“Is that the kind of line I would have been forced to put up with if you tried to pick me up the old-fashioned way?”

“No, it would have been much worse. I usually inspire the kind of line where you stand around until you're blessed with a turn,” Lauren counters smugly.

“You so stole that from a book,” Camila accuses.

“Such a harsh accusation calls for some evidence.”

“If we ever get out of here and back to the city, I'll search every book in that store until I find it,” Camila agrees.

“Just don't forget to put everything back in its place. That's the biggest pet peeve I will ever have. I spend hours organizing those shelves and it only takes seconds for someone to ruin my vibe.”

“Camila, Vibe-Ruiner, Cabello....has a nice ring to it.”

“Eh, let's get out of here. We'll work on a better title for you on the way home.

“Only if we don't get lost forever on the way back through this maze.”

“Remember, as far as we know, forever may only last another three minutes.”

 


	21. Chapter 21

Fool Me  
Chapter 21 

“You took her to see a rock? Please tell me it was surrounded by beach paradise at least?” Normani criticizes after dragging some vague details about the weekend out of Lauren the evening of their return. 

Lauren is laying back on the sofa, palm against her forehead with her eyes closed, trying to relieve some of the pain from the dehydration headache that developed over the long car ride home. 

“Come on, Mani. You know I'm not into that cookie-cutter romance stuff,” Lauren defends herself after a long sigh. 

“Well, she still drove you back here so you couldn't have screwed up too bad,” her roommate reasons as she leans against the wall between the living room and kitchen. 

“You may not have trusted me to find my own girlfriend, but when it comes to the actual relationship can you maybe pretend to have a little faith in me please?” 

“I'm sorry, Lo. You know I was just messin' with you though,” Normani insists.

“And normally I'd be fine with the teasing, but this headache seems like it's about to turn into a migraine. I think I'm gonna go lay down in the dark in my room,” Lauren declares as she sits up slowly and stands up from the couch. 

“Hmm, sounds like somebody's weekend got a bit too loud,” Normani replies suggestively.

“Um duh...I went to a festival full of rock bands?” 

“I was refering to Cami-” Normani begins but Lauren quickly cuts her off.

“Good night, Hamilton.” 

 

Camila is exhausted when she drags herself into work on Monday morning, having managed to secure a pathetic 3 hours of sleep after staying up making detailed notes about her evaluations of the bands' tracks she reviewed. Stella is out to an important business meeting for half the day, giving her a few hours cushion to make sense of her own barely-legible night scribbles and organize them into a presentable report. It is around 11:30 when an incoming call rings out, jolting her out of her previous trance from proofreading the final draft. 

“Stella Miller's office, Camila speaking, how may I assist you today?” She greets the caller professionally. 

“Hello miss, I am calling to confirm your noon reservation for lunch at Délicieux,” a male voice replies from the other side of the line. 

Camila peeks at her copy of Stella's calendar and scratches her head, puzzled.

“I believe Ms. Miller has made other arrangements for her meal today. May I place you on a brief hold while I verify whether there's a different reservation she meant to place?” 

“Pardon me, I believe the reservation is in your name. Are you Ms. Cabello?” 

“I am, but I don't remember requesting to dine at your restaurant. May I have your address?” 

Camila enters the address into Google Maps as it is read to her and discovers the restaurant is a quick five minute drive from her office. She decides to accept the reservation and check it out, hungry from skipping breakfast and not packing lunch in the aftermath of sleep deprivation. Her instincts tell her it could easily be something Lauren set up and she wouldn't want to spoil the plan by being a no show.

Finding parking near Délicieux takes longer than expected, but after a couple times around the block she manages to squeeze into a 2 hour space around the corner from the entrance. She briefly pauses to wonder if she is underdressed because of the minimal effort that went into her outfit but dismisses the thought as she opens the front door and approaches the host.

“Reservation for Cabello,” she announces once his attention is completely on her. 

“Good afternoon, Miss Cabello, your plus one is waiting at the table. It will be right this way,” he gestures to her left and his right as she prepares to lead them there. 

Camila freezes when the host pauses beside a table occupied by none other than her ex-girlfriend, Ariana. He pulls out Camila's chair and waits for her to sit down, alarmed when she doesn't immediately take her seat. 

“Is there a problem, Miss?” He asks politely. 

She takes a deep breath to repress the anger that came over her after the initial shock passed. 

“No, sir. Thank you,” she lies before sitting down and clearing her throat as he leaves them to be served by their waitress. 

They both ask her for water and she takes off to fill their request, leaving them in awkward silence as Camila contemplates whether to stay or go. Ariana peeks over the menu and appears to make up her mind on an entree before she looks up to make eye contact with Camila again.

“Isn't this nice, MiMi? It's like what we talked about before...what you always wanted,” Ariana reminds her with a grin. 

“Are you suffering from a head injury?” Camila quips with gritted teeth.

Ariana chuckles and shakes her head. 

“I know you think you're over me but I brought you here to prove you wrong,” Ariana replied confidently. 

Camila scoffs.

“Ari, I'm already seeing someone, and I thought I made it clear to you that we're done.” 

They are interrupted by the waitress setting their water on the table and asking for their order. Ariana replies to the waitress enthusiastically while Camila orders the first dish her eyes fell upon when she looked at the open menu in front of her. The waitress takes away their menus after writing down their orders before leaving them alone again. 

“I don't think I got a fair shot to prove to you that I'm serious about us,” Ariana expresses genuinely with pleading eyes as she reaches out to grab her hand on top of the table , “and just by being here, in public with you, right now, I'm demonstrating how I'm finally not afraid anymore.” 

“You're too late,” Camila asserts just before she sees the flash of a camera, then another, and another.

“I think the paparazzi have a different story in mind,” Ariana counters as she points toward the person invading their privacy from a short distance. 

Camila pulls her hand from Ariana's grip, stands up from her seat, and shakes her head vigorously. 

“I will not be a part of this...this stunt,” she refuses. 

“I'm coming out, Camila, whether you like it or not. You can either rise to the top with me or I'll make sure you never make it off the ground in this business,” she threatens as Camila walks away, exiting the restaurant and refusing to look back.


	22. Chapter 22

Fool Me  
Chapter 22 

Camila doesn't have time to linger on the whirlwind of emotions going through her head or the growling of her empty stomach when she returns to the office. Stella is back from her meeting by then and immediately demands a recap of the weekend before taking a copy of Camila's report. It's late afternoon before she can catch a break from her desk again and of course it's only so she can use the main level's mail machine before the day's post goes out. 

An unexpected, yet very familiar voice causes her to halt on her way back to the staircase from the mail room. 

“I don curr bout the rules, Sadie. Camila is coming down here or you are gonna let me up there. This is an emergency,” Dinah commands to the receptionist. 

“You have no authorized purpose to be in the building let alone -” Sadie begins to explain before Camila turns the corner and alerts them to her presence with a clearing of her throat. 

“Is the conference room down the B wing in use by chance?” Camila asks, addressing Sadie first. 

“Not at the moment,” she confirms after running a finger down the daily schedule map for the building. 

“I need to meet with Dinah for a few minutes. If Stella buzzes down for me, can you give her that room's extension, please?” Camila requests quickly before motioning for Dinah to follow her. 

“Will do,” Sadie agrees before returning her attention to a previous task she had been working on, designing her own business card. 

Once Camila and Dinah are seated beside each other in two leather chairs surrounding a large meeting table, the purpose of Dinah's visit is revealed. 

“I don't even know how you could do Lauren like this, Mila,” Dinah admits with disappointment in her tone as she displays a picture from a tweet on her phone that shows Camila's hand in Ariana's at the restaurant hours earlier. 

“Come on, Di, you know me better than anyone. The story that picture tells couldn't be farther from the truth.” 

“Then tell me what I'm not seeing,” she insists, “because Normani was bout ready to flip a table when she called me.” 

Camila lets her fingertips dance against the table as she gathers up the nerve to tell her side of the events while simultaneously panicking that Normani has probably already told Lauren, too. This will mark the second time in three days that Lauren is catching her mingling with another woman when they're supposed to be convincing everyone they're wrapped up in each other. Partnered with the knowledge of how Lauren's last relationship ended, she feels like a complete asshat.

“Ariana must have put a reservation under my name. When the restaurant called about it I suspected it was something Lauren set up. If I knew what my ex was up to I wouldn't have showed. I didn't immediately leave when I saw Ariana at the table because I was really hungry and I thought we might have a civil conversation. Turns out she only brought me there to launch her coming out press story. That's why they picked a photo with that angle where you only get my side profile. If you could see my full expression, the story would be completely different.” 

Dinah listens intently to Camila's recap of the events and shakes her head in disbelief at Ari's audacity. 

“I'm gonna be real with you. Normani's pissed and I can talk to her now that I know what went down. But Lauren...you better pray she picks up when you call cause if I was her, after seeing this I def wouldn't wanna be seeing you,” Dinah explains with a sympathetic look.

Camila takes a deep breath before raising from her chair and pushing it back into place under the table. 

“It'll be at least an hour and a half before Stella takes off. Can you find out from Normani if Lauren's willing to meet at my apartment when I get home tonight?” 

“Don't you think neutral territory would be better?” Dinah suggests. 

Camila shakes her her. 

“No, neutral territory is where you go to break up with someone. Her and I, we'll fix this.” 

“I hope you do,” Dinah replies sincerely as they exit the conference room and part ways so Camila can return to work. 

 

Camila is stuck at the office later than expected, so by the time she reaches the floor of her apartment, Lauren is already standing outside the door leaning against the nearby wall while glancing down at her phone. She looks up upon hearing Camila's footsteps approaching and smiles weakly when they make eye contact.

“Long day with Cru-Stella?” Lauren jokes lightheartedly, easing some of the initial tension. 

“Yeah,” Camila confirms as she puts her key in the door and turns the knob so they can go inside. 

Lauren takes a seat as Camila puts her stuff away and goes into her room to change. When she returns she immediately enters the kitchen and looks for the quickest snack.

“Do you want anything? I'm starving,” Camila explains as she grabs a banana and a bag of pretzels. 

“No thanks,” Lauren declines. “Didn't get your fill at lunch?” 

Camila is a little thrown off by the tone of Lauren's question but tries not to read too far into it as she decides to sit in the chair across from the couch rather than beside her on the couch.

“Eating lunch with an ex is nauseating. I didn't even stay long enough for them to bring my plate out,” Camila reveals as she peels her banana and takes the first bite. 

“Mani has Ariana's twitter alerts sent to her phone. When she forwarded a link to me at work, I thought nothing of it. Then I see this long rant below it blowing up my iMessages. Some major celeb gossip source is speculating about you being Ariana's girlfriend and she quoted their tweet with a heart eyes emoji. I felt ridiculous for not knowing you had plans to meet up with your ex, especially when Normani began to list creative ways for me to dump your ass.” 

Camila looks at Lauren apologetically.

“I would have told you if it was something I planned. Ari blindsided me just like last time when you saw her here. Now she's threatening my career if I don't corroborate whatever story she concocts about our relationship and UGH! She has no idea what she's actually ruined,” Camila vents. 

“Camila, I think we need to come clean,” Lauren replies quickly, before she loses the nerve. It's the primary debate that's been on her mind since Normani sent the first text – whether they can recover from this or if they should just tell the truth. 

“You mean like...tell them we're not really dating?” Camila asks as she feels a dropping sensation in the pit of her stomach.

“Exactly. Between what happened this weekend and what's happening now, it just doesn't make sense anymore. Why pretend to be with me when you have these other women throwing themselves at you? That sets you up to be an asshole and me to look like the fool. I've been there, done that, and I didn't agree to this so we could tell a story that I've already lived.” 

Camila's instinct is to find a way to disagree, to argue the opposing side, but apart from her developing feelings for Lauren she has been trying to repress, no good points for them to not break up come to mind. 

“I think faking this relationship may have turned out worse than going out on real dates with other people would have for either of us,” Camila surrenders with a frown. 

“Karma...instead of playing our friends, it's more like we played ourselves.” 

“Lauren, for what it's worth, I've had a lot of fun going out together and enjoyed getting to know you. And I'm willing to take most of the blame when DJ and Mani find out about this, because it's entirely my fault everything got so fucked up,” Camila offers without hesitation. 

“Damn right it is,” Lauren accuses while smiling, indicating a playful nature behind it although it's not entirely untrue. 

“I deserved that,” Camila concludes, finding Lauren's smile contagious as her own lips curl upward as well.

“Let's see if Mani and Dinah are free right now. I'll ask them to bring over dinner and we can all talk. I suppose even a homewrecker like yourself deserves to eat,” Lauren teases, helping cover up her true emotions about the situation by addressing it with humor. 

Any sign of bitterness could certainly give her feelings for Camila away, and that's the last thing she needs if they're going to be telling the others that friends is all they ever were and all they intend to be.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 

“You're lucky y'all worked things out cause I was about ready to have Dinah hold you down while I got at you for what I thought you were pullin',” Normani directs to Camila as Dinah is setting out the pizza and wings they brought over. 

“I'm sorry you all got dragged into this drama with Ari. We barely saw each other when we were together, so I didn't think I'd run into her anymore once we split. But I guess she has other plans,” Camila hypothesizes. 

“Joke is on her. She's gonna be lookin' reaaalll stupid when the papz find out you got a sidechick,” Dinah reasons as she passes out the plates so they can start serving themselves. 

Lauren clears her throat and Camila gives her a knowing look. 

“Um...actually. There's something Lauren and I need to explain,” Camila announces once everyone has a full plate. 

Normani, who has already started biting into a slice of pizza, and Dinah both look over at her expectantly. 

“Well, that first night when you ditched us at the concert, we also ditched. Lauren took me to a restaurant and we spent a majority of the time ranting about how annoyed we were with you two for not respecting our decision to take a break from relationships,” Camila begins, pausing to evaluate their expressions before Lauren gives a nod of encouragement and finishes the story for her. 

“So instead of calling you out on your weak attempt to set us up, we came up with a plan to pretend we hit it off and fake that things were getting serious because then you'd have to give the nagging a rest. And it was working out apart from Ariana being persistent about wanting Camila back. That threw a wrench in the whole thing, and that's why we decided to come clean now,” Lauren summarizes. 

Their friends look between Camila and Lauren in disbelief. 

“Hold up, are you trying to tell us that you were never together?” Dinah asks suspiciously.

“And you managed to lie about this for over a month?” Normani added with a raised eyebrow. 

Lauren shrugs and Camila nods, confirming.

“Unbelievable,” Normani breathes out before biting into one of her hot wings while she takes the time to process the new information. 

“You went through all that just so you wouldn't have to date other people?” Dinah adds incredulously. 

“Seems a bit extreme if you ask me...” Normani mumbles between bites. 

“If you need to be mad at us, please mostly be mad at me,” Camila insists. “Lauren primarily made the decision to tell the truth tonight. Before Ari interferred, it never even crossed my mind to do so.”  
“I'm not mad. I just think you crazy,” Dinah teases before grabbing a fresh slice of pizza from one of the boxes since her plate was emptied. 

“Ditto. Just thinking about the way y'all made out at my party. I'd definitely never be comfortable doing that with one of my friends,” Normani explains with a shudder. 

Lauren and Camila glance away from each other awkwardly, both fighting a blush at the memory. Neither of them realizes how willing the other would be to have a repeat encounter. The tension doesn't go unnoticed by their best friends, but they decide it would be better to individually confront them later rather than call them out on it while they're together, and only minutes after they've demoted their love story to a tale of scheming friendship.

“It's uh...no different than stagekissing,” Camila defends. “Minus the stage, minus the camera. Standard acting.” 

“Exactly,” Lauren agrees. “We had to make it believable, right?” 

Their friends nod in agreement as the subject shifts and they finish off the rest of the food while socializing casually. Camila is ready to kick them out by 9 o'clock, still exhausted from the previous night. Lauren offers to take Normani in her car since Dinah drove over, so the roommates leave first while Camila's best friend hangs back. She helps clean up the dishes and take out the trash before starting her interrogation. 

“Does Lauren know when you stopped faking?” Dinah inquires after everything is in its place.

“What do you mean? We mutually agreed to end it today,” Camila reminds her. 

“I'm not talking bout the relationship, Mila. I'm talking bout when you stopped faking your feelings for her, cause you don't have to no more. You really like her,” Dinah accuses. 

Camila gulps before excusing herself to get a glass of water. 

“Avoiding the question is as good as a confession,” Dinah concludes as she shouts to Camila from the living room. 

“So what? It's a crush. We can move passed it,” Camila argues as she returns to the living room and takes a seat while sipping on her water. 

“Why move on? Ask her on a date. It's not like you haven't already been on several,” Dinah encourages. 

“Come on, Di. This is exactly why I lied to you in the first place. You've known I'm single for less than an hour and the nagging is back full force,” she replies with a groan of annoyance. 

“It's different. I'm not telling you to go out and meet someone new or find some random hook up for the night. This is a woman you already care about and you know there's potential. Look me in the eye and tell me that's not what you want.” 

“Lauren is everything I didn't know I was looking for and I want to be the same for her, but I'm not.”


	24. Chapter 24

Fool Me  
Chapter 24 

Normani has similar questions for Lauren like Dinah had for Camila as the roommates drive home together. 

“You really had us going, Laur. I can't believe you made all that up,” Normani confesses. 

Lauren shrugs while maintaining her focus on the road as she drives.

“It wasn't that difficult. Camila and I connect well as friends, so neither of us minded stringing you and Dinah along a bit.” 

“You sure that's all it was?” 

“Of course I'm sure. It's what we agreed,” Lauren asserts, a little too defensively in Normani's opinion.

“I believe the first part, that yall walked out of the first date wanting to get back at Dinah and me. I might even understand why. But I don't think you gave up from guilt. I think you did it cause of fear.”

Lauren is grateful that being in the driver's seat gives her an excuse not to make eye contact, because she's certain Normani would drag the truth out of her gaze if they did. 

“Afraid of what?” Lauren questions, trying her best to sound clueless of the accusation behind the question. 

“Don't play dumb, Jauregui. I know what you're like when you fall for someone. It hits you hard, and if there's any chance she doesn't feel the same way you're gonna distance yourself to avoid getting hurt.”

They're back to their apartment complex at this point, so Lauren's using her concentration on pulling into their parking space as a way of stalling the conversation. Normani reaches to pull the keys out of the ignition as soon as Lauren twists them, knowing Lauren won't be able to rush out of the car like she suspects are her intentions if she doesn't have their apartment key to let herself in. 

“Did you really just take my keys away?” Lauren asks rhetorically before letting herself fall back against the headrest with a sigh. 

“You told Dinah and I the truth today. Now I want you to be honest with yourself, too,” Normani explains as she clutches the keys in her right hand, holding them the farthest away from Lauren that she can. 

“If I could start over with Camila and meet her under different circumstances, I'd ask her out. Happy?” 

“Getting there. I think you should ask her out anyway though,” Normani suggests while relinquishing the keys because she got the confession she wanted. 

“You forgot one minor, little detail, Mani. Millions of people already think she's Ariana Grande's girlfriend. And with our fake relationship out of the way, there's really no good reason she shouldn't be.”   
It takes the press less than 48 hours to piece together details of Ariana's mystery lover's life and begin releasing stories that turn Camila Cabello into a household name. Camila disables all her social media accounts as attention from strangers begins pouring in, and the security at Hype-R Records is given strict orders to prevent all suspected paparazzi from entering or loitering near the building during work hours. 

Stella keeps a closer eye on Camila than usual, as if she's waiting for the younger woman to fall apart in the midst of the new distractions. However, it backfires as Camila ends up being more productive than usual by coming in early and staying late to avoid calling attention to herself at the times when she's most expected to appear. She manages to avoid participating in any interviews or doing anything that would add fuel to the rumors until Friday rolls around and Ariana goes out of her way to visit the studio. 

“Hey Stella, do you mind if I borrow Ms. Cabello for a moment?” Camila overhears Ariana request through the door that is cracked open between her and her boss's office. 

All she can make out in Stella's reply is incoherent mumbling, but she knows permission was granted when additional light begins to pour into her office as the door is swung open by her ex-girlfriend.

“Hey babe,” Ariana greets enthusiastically before leaning forward and pressing a quick, unwelcome kiss to Camila's cheek. “How's work?” She continues, partially sitting on a corner of her desk that's currently uncovered as she eyes her expectantly. 

Camila still has a fairly clear view of Stella off to the right of Ariana's shoulder and can tell she has her ears perked up to listen in on their conversation. 

“I'm keeping busy,” she responds vaguely, knowing she can't say anything that's actually on her mind at the moment as long as her boss is present. 

“I can tell. I'm not surprised you've given the press the run around, but I've been worried since you're not taking my calls,” Ariana replies with a pout.

Camila moves the cursor on her desktop to exit out of the content she's working on and sets her computer to the lock screen. 

“How about we hang out in the employee's lounge and call something in for delivery? I haven't had lunch yet,” Camila suggests casually, knowing their chances of having company in the lounge are minimal as most employees choose to either eat at their desk or go out depending on the volume of work they need to get done. 

When she receives no protest from Ariana, she stands, picks up a file she has stashed full of menus in it and leads them out into the hall until they reach the lounge's entrance. They settle on ordering some Thai food which Camila calls in before resuming their previous conversation. 

“I don't appreciate being used,” Camila begins, getting straight to the point. 

“That's not what I want either,” Ariana defends. 

“Could've fooled me.”   
“You've given me the courage to come out, Camila, and I want you to get the credit you deserve for that. I know that distance made our relationship difficult, but that's inevitable no matter who I'm with. Sneaking around and keeping our love a secret is the only other part that went wrong, and it's something that I can control. So I fixed it,” Ariana confesses. 

Camila rests her head against her right hand as it is supported by her elbow leaning on the table. 

“Did it at any point occur to you that perhaps I should have been given a say in all this?” 

Ariana nods assertively.

“I came to your apartment, remember? I apologized and tried to explain everything. But you pushed me away,” Ariana accuses. 

“My girlfriend was there, too, or have you blocked that detail out?” 

“I don't know how you got over us so quickly when I couldn't. I assumed she was just a rebound,” Ariana admits.

“Why would you assume that?”

“Well, are you still seeing her now?”

Camila's instincts tell her to say yes, but she doesn't want to deal with the consequences of potentially getting caught up in another lie. Lauren would probably hate her for dragging her back into it right when they finally cleared the air with their friends. 

“No, we broke up.” 

Ariana's face lights up at the news. 

“Then nothing's stopping you from giving me, giving us another chance,” Ariana concludes.


	25. Chapter 25

**Fool Me**

**Chapter 25**

 

Camila definitely doesn't miss the irony she has imposed on herself when she agrees to give her ex-girlfriend another chance. Ariana had accused her of using Lauren to get over her when in fact, here she is, using her to get over Lauren. They spend the couple days Ariana has in town catching up between their work commitments and interacting with the press that her publicist approves. When Camila is alone she continues to dodge the paparazzi and when they're together she lets Ariana do most of the talking.

She sees Ariana off at the airport on Saturday because she's due to record at her own studio for the next few weeks. As they are about to part ways, Ariana initiates the first kiss since their break up, and Camila instantly realizes two things. One, it doesn't feel as right as it did before and two, she preferred kissing Lauren. She forces a smile when they pull away from each other and gives a little wave as Ariana takes off to catch her flight with a promise to call her every day that she can. Unlike when they previously dated, she finds herself hoping her girlfriend can't keep that promise.

It's around four in the afternoon when Camila gets back to her apartment and she spends at least fifteen minutes trying to find something to watch on Netflix to distract her from the desire to text Lauren. This is officially the longest they've gone without interacting since they met, and although she has the excuse of a hectic week at work in combination with entertaining her new-old girlfriend, she isn't quite sure what would be preventing Lauren from reaching out to her as a friend. It takes no longer than twenty minutes into a horrible movie with a deceptively intriguing synopsis to cave in and make the first attempt at contact.

_To: Lauren_

_From: Camila_

_Hey Stranger! How's everything going? It's weird not seeing you._

Camila reads over the text a few times before hitting send, worried it might either be too casual or perhaps not casual enough. She tries to think of how she interacts with Dinah, someone who is definitely only a friend, so she can use that as a guideline for how to act with Lauren now. It takes a while for her phone to buzz to indicate an incoming text, but when it does Camila takes a deep breath before checking it.

_To: Camila_

_From: Lauren_

_I've been writing all day. It's been a while since I've felt this focused and inspired. Also, it helps that Normani's taking a long weekend and visiting Tyler's family. She usually gets on my case if I spend this much time by myself._

Camila is conflicted after reading the message. She is happy Lauren is being productive and enjoying the quiet in Normani's absence, but her own selfishness is begging her to invite Lauren over. The odds are not in her favor and yet she is daring enough to try.

_To: Lauren_

_From: Camila_

_May I entice you to come out of hiding by offering my company?_

Camila facepalms as soon as she sends the message. She sounds more like an expensive hooker or an escort than a friend inviting over another friend.

_To: Camila_

_From: Lauren_

_You can come over here if you'd like. I won't promise to be great company though. Sometimes I zone out a lot when I'm on an artistic high._

Camila is pleasantly surprised that she isn't completely rejected and decides to make the adventure across town to see Lauren despite her admitting to having her mind focused elsewhere. She takes a few seconds to send a quick text warning her she's on her way before grabbing her jacket and heading out the door.

When Lauren answers the door at her apartment, she is clearly dressed down like someone who doesn't expect company. Her black tank top clings to her body just right to confirm she's forgone wearing a bra and she's wearing matching black shorts that upon further inspection may be identified as boxers. Camila quickly redirects her gaze elsewhere, fighting the urge to stare. That's not at all the path she should be going down when they're supposed to be working on their friendship.

“You can come in, you know, just uh...excuse the mess?” Lauren greets tentatively as she steps out of the way for Camila to enter and shut the front door behind her.

Camila isn't sure what Lauren is referring to at first glance as most of the apartment and its furniture appears intact. Once they get farther along into the living room, however, she comes across the mess she is meant to excuse. Scattered on the floor, between the furniture, where the coffee table typically rests there is a collage of notebook paper organized in various clusters that must only make sense to the person who put them there, Lauren.

“I can see now how Normani being home would stunt the creative process for you,” Camila observes.

Lauren lifts her right arm and rubs the back of her neck nervously.

“Yeah um...I don't normally leave stuff out in the open like this where someone else can see it. Most of the writing process is fairly personal to me. I trust you to respect that and I did want to see you so...” Lauren begins to explain before trailing off and pretending to be thinking over something as she shifts her gaze from one side of the collage to the other.

“Of course. Are you up for a break or should I distract myself for a bit while you finish up whatever I interrupted?”

Lauren shakes her head.

“I think I'm in a good spot to pause. Do you want some tea? I need something caffeinated if I'm going to keep up with all the directions my mind is taking me for new ideas tonight.”

“Sure, you can surprise me with the flavor. Just don't get offended if I end up adding a bunch of sugar.”

They sit across from each other at the dining table once Lauren has finished preparing their tea and a new conversation takes off as they wait for it to settle and cool down.

“Was Stella impressed with the bands you recommended from Rock Shock?” Lauren asks, genuinely curious about what type of reaction Camila would have received after her first solo scouting.

“She complimented my report but she hasn't finished listening to them all. I am supposed to hear back about which are her top three picks this coming week and then we'll have to prepare a presentation for her boss before moving forward with inviting them to tour the studio. I hope most of the papz give up by then so there's less of a scene for their first impression of Hype-R Records,” Camila admits with a sigh.

Lauren avoids eye contact as she looks down at the table and takes a test sip of her tea. She knows Camila is back with Ariana because Normani's jaw had almost dropped to the floor when an interview they did together popped up in her Twitter feed the day before she left with Tyler. They watched it together and when both women confirmed the relationship she had almost felt nauseous from the disappointment. She prefers to avoid the subject, but was aware when she invited Camila over of the inevitability of it coming up.

“Did Ariana leave already? I was kinda surprised when I got your text because I figured you have a lot of catching up to do.”

Camila frowns at the mention of her girlfriend and it doesn't go unnoticed by Lauren whose confusion is written on her face as well.

“She is still working on part of her next album so she had to leave this afternoon. We talked about me flying out there for a weekend next month but I don't know. If one of the bands I recommended gets picked up, then Stella might let me be more involved and that could mean putting in some weekend hours like I did for Rock Shock,” Camila reveals.

“That's awesome! It's about time you get some recognition. I was worried Stella would try to take all the credit for what we did at the festival,” Lauren replies while smiling at the news.

Camila finds that Lauren's smile is contagious and nods in agreement.

“If we explore the rock genre anymore I might have to just let you take my place,” she teases.

“What are you gonna do when I take your job then huh?”

“Live in my girlfriend's shadow probably,” Camila mumbles, although not softly enough because Lauren still hears her clearly.

“I know it's none of my business, Camz, but you're a lot less enthusiastic about patching things up with Ariana than I expected. Did you fight before she left or something?”

Camila twirls the tea bag around in her cup and considers how honest she should be. On the one hand, she wants to work out her relationship with Ariana as a distraction from her feelings for Lauren and doing so would require faking enthusiasm about it. On the other hand, she wants to get closer to Lauren as a friend and confiding in her will help them progress in that direction. The latter side wins.

“Being Ariana's public girlfriend is different than being her private girlfriend. Nothing is how I remember it to be, not even how I feel. I used to think sneaking around was the problem because it was exhausting and I hated being with someone who wouldn't admit it, but now I'm wondering if that was actually the only appeal our relationship had to me. Maybe it was the thrill of dating someone who was off limits that drew me in long enough to progress beyond a fling,” Camila considers aloud.

Lauren resents the pang of hope that flows through her as Camila all but confirms that she isn't really interested in being with Ariana anymore.  


	26. Chapter 26

Fool Me  
Chapter 26

After the initial friendly visit, Camila and Lauren resume communicating on a regular basis. They exchange texts throughout the week and make a ritual of meeting up for a couple hours on Sundays. Work also picks up at HYPE-R Records as expected and Camila is relieved to use it as an excuse to limit the time her and Ariana have for each other. They talk on the phone a maximum of fifteen minutes on any given day, usually right before bed, and it's generally taken up by Ariana venting about the tension between her and the producer of her previous album who she accuses of having a conflicting vision for where she wants to take her new music. Camila gives up on trying to get a word in by the third time Ariana calls, and gradually tunes her out more with each conversation, preferring to let her mind drift towards Lauren who has been a much better listener from the beginning. 

Following three weeks of careful negotiating and planning, Stella announces four bands the label is interested in contacting for further screening. Camila is assigned to handle two of them, splitting the work evenly for the first time she can remember. She is indifferent about working with the first group she is assigned, Painted Turtles. However, her nerves spike up upon being assigned to handle Rust the Nail as well. Jennel has contacted her a couple times since Rock Shock, but it has only been for invitations to nearby shows which she turns down because they occur during late hours on work nights. Camila pushes her concerns about working with the group aside because she knows their potential to be signed is in her favor and calls Jennel first. 

“Hello?” Jennel answers after a few rings.

“Hi Jennel, this is Camila Cabello from HYPE-R Records. I'm calling regarding your band, Rust the Nail,” Camila opens, keeping it formal for the sake of professionalism. 

“Hey babe, calling to offer us a deal?” 

Camila cringes at the term of endearment, but quickly dismisses it. 

“We are interested in having the band tour our facilities, do a bit of recording in the studio, and meet with some of the label staff. If you want, take some time to talk it over with the guys first and plan on getting back to me by tomorrow so we can move forward and work out logistics.” 

“I'm sure the guys will be down with it. We may have to cancel a show or two on the road, but it would be a fair trade for some exposure through the label,” Jennel reasons. 

“Great! I'll let my boss know you're on board, and if you call me tomorrow morning I should have details ready to set up the first meeting.”

“I'll look forward to seeing you,” Jennel replies with a sense of flirtatiousness in her tone. 

“Yeah, see you soon,” Camila responds awkwardly before hanging up hastily. 

Camila has a longer conversation with the lead musician of Painted Turtles because she has to do a cold call, introducing herself and the label from scratch. Her confidence increases as they sound gradually more interested throughout the call and finally agree to set up the first meeting. When she reports the news back to Stella she learns that one of the other two bands turned her down, effectively giving her the upper hand over her boss who will now only have one band and one chance to mentor the next group that will be offered a full deal. Unfortunately, it also means Camila will be much busier with her attention being split between two groups. 

When Ariana calls her before bed, Camila jumps in quickly to share her news about working with the two bands because she is using it as an excuse to avoid flying out to see her as planned. Ariana completely ignores Camila's excitement about the project and jumps right into pouting about being separated from her girlfriend longer than anticipated.

“But MiMi, you promised...”

“I thought we agreed you would bury that nickname, Ari,” Camila cuts in, changing topics. 

She hears a deep sigh on the other end.

“Camila, I miss you. Don't you miss me, too?” 

Camila regrets pausing too long as her girlfriend makes her own interpretation of the silence and switches to an angry tone.

“Why are you acting so indifferent about all of this? Are you still seeing that Lorraine chick? I trusted you to be committed to us but how am I supposed to believe that when you seem so unaffected by the distance between us,” Ariana accuses. 

“Her name is Lauren, but this isn't about her. This is about me and my career which happens to be just as much a priority in my life as yours is to you. That's why I expected you to understand but I guess that was a poor assumption,” Camila counters with similar venom. 

Ariana doesn't respond for a while and Camila considers hanging up on her until she eventually speaks up again.

“I'm sorry. I was out of line to suggest you're cheating on me. I guess it's easier to accept that I won't get to see you for a while longer if I'm mad at you,” Ariana confesses with a tone of apology.

“We'll figure it out for another time,” Camila insists, doing her best to sound enthusiastic about rescheduling. 

They wrap up their conversation shortly afterward as both feel themselves crashing from a long day at work. 

Ariana doesn't call Camila the next couple nights, but she doesn't allow herself much time to dwell on it as preparing for the bands' arrival at HYPE-R leaves her in a perpetual state of stress. Not even Dinah or Lauren manage to hear a peep from Camila until the weekend at which point they're ready to send out a search party. Lauren is the first to crack and stop by her apartment on Saturday, a day ahead of their usual meetings. 

Camila looks disheveled when she answers the door, apparently having fallen asleep in her work clothes from the day before after returning from a particularly late night in the office. 

“Dinah will be pleased when I report back that I've found you alive and almost in one piece,” Lauren teases as she hangs up her jacket on Camila's coat rack. 

Camila groans softly, lacking the energy to speak as she heads into the kitchen to turn on her coffeemaker. Lauren makes herself comfortable in Camila's living room, flipping through options for something to watch on the TV while she allows her some time to wake up. When the coffee is done, Camila brings an extra mug for Lauren while she sits down beside her on the couch, although she remains quiet until a full episode of That 70s Show has played all the way through.

“I don't think the coffee I keep around is going to be strong enough. I'm exhausted,” Camila announces while peeking at the bottom of her now-empty mug. 

“It's the afternoon and you still seemed dead to the world when I came to to door. If I didn't know any better I'd think you were hungover.” 

Camila nods to acknowledge Lauren as she gets up and returns to the kitchen for more coffee. 

“It was after midnight when I got in from the office last night,” Camila almost shouts from the other room as she is refilling her mug with her favorite caffeinated substance. 

“I almost considered going in this morning, too, but I felt like shit when my alarm went off,” she continues to explain as she reclaims her spot on the couch. 

Lauren shakes her head in disbelief.

“I know you've picked up more responsibilities recently, but if you don't still give yourself some breaks, or at least get proper sleep, you'll burn out quicker than you think,” Lauren cautions.

“Don't worry. This isn't permanent. I'll only have a couple weeks of overtime to put in to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Camila defends. 

Lauren shrugs.

“Isn't that what they all say in the beginning? Then the next thing you know, you're waking up at 40 wondering where the time went...”

Camila rolls her eyes before setting her half-empty mug on the table and leaning back on the couch for better comfort. 

“We're not even pushing 30 yet. I have plenty of time to snap out of it before my mid-life crisis.” 

Lauren begins to open her mouth to respond when they are interrupted by the buzzing of Camila's cell phone. 

“Sorry. I gotta take this,” Camila explains politely before stepping into her room for some privacy.


	27. Chapter 27

Fool Me  
Chapter 27

Lauren is almost through another episode of That 70s Show before Camila returns to the living room. 

“That was my boss. We had to coordinate scheduling for next week because there was initially some overlap between the bands we're bringing in that needed to be smoothed out. And she had like a million questions about the research I was doing last night. It's weird being treated almost like an equal,” Camila explains as she plops down on the couch and Lauren pauses the show.

“Just don't let her take too much credit when your work lands the both of you in good graces with upper management. The moment you outshine her she'll likely try to knock you back down a notch,” Lauren cautions.

“I think I'm ready to be more assertive,” Camila replies as she drifts into deeper thought about other aspects of her life where she could benefit from following through with this goal.

She doesn't realize she is zoning out until Lauren begins waving a hand in front of her face.

“Would you like me to pour you a fresh cup?” Lauren offers while gesturing toward her mug.

“Nah, I'm suddenly really hungry. Do you wanna go out with me?” 

“Uh...” Lauren drags out as she has to correct her brain from interpreting the question differently than it's intended. “Sure. We can do that.” 

“Awesome, just let me change real quick and I'll be all set.” 

Camila offers to drive and Lauren raises an eyebrow when they end up at Grub Pub twenty minutes later.

“Deja vu, anyone?” Lauren accuses. 

“I haven't been here since you took me. It felt wrong coming back without you considering you're on a first name basis with the staff and all,” Camila defends. 

“You're lucky I love this place enough to pretend I didn't eat here two nights ago.” 

“Of course you did,” Camila replies with a chuckle as they seat themselves and wait for their order to be taken. 

Lauren doesn't stray from her usual meal but Camila surprises her by throwing in onion rings as an appetizer. 

“You're a brave soul to try something new here,” Lauren compliments.

“Why?”

“I dunno. I've had the same order for so long I'm afraid to get something I might not like and ruin the magic of this place.” 

Camila nods in understanding as their beverages and a basket of onion rings is placed in front of them. She is the first to dig in and try one, although she quickly regrets it when she realizes it's still really hot and has to pull a large chunk of it back out of her mouth. 

“Well that was super attractive,” Lauren teases. “Good thing the papz finally took a break or this would be headline news for sure. I can just picture it. Ariana's Girlfriend: A Grande Disappointment or if they put a spin on it, Camila Cabello Spotted with Ring – Could She Be Preparing A Grande Proposal?” 

Camila nearly chokes on the sip of cider she took beforehand and cringes. 

“Please don't give them any ideas. Seriously. They finally moved on to other people once they realized we're rarely together and I'm barely interesting on my own.” 

Lauren shakes her head.

“That's not true at all. The last couple months spent getting to know you have been some of the most interesting in recent memory for me.” 

Camila feels a twist in her gut as a smile forms on her lips. 

“Me, too,” Camila agrees before they get interrupted by their main plates arriving. 

A comfortable silence lingers for a while as they devour the tasty, greasy food in front of them, occasionally making eye contact and smiling in contentment as their taste buds are rewarded once again. The waiter giving Lauren a refill on her cider is what brings Camila's mind back to the table to continue the conversation.

“Do you ever wonder about the night we met?”

Camila can tell she has thrown Lauren off guard with the question, but she expected no less.

“How do you mean?” Lauren requests for her to elaborate as she grabs the last onion ring and prepares to take a bite. 

“Like...what if we stayed for the concert? Would it have been a date? Do you think we'd still be seeing each other now if it was?” 

Camila fears that she has crossed a line when Lauren doesn't immediately respond, or even make eye contact, but is relieved when the other woman does finally look up at her and shrugs to appear as casual as possible about the question although her emotions are internally in overdrive. 

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Lauren replies carefully, “I do wonder about stuff like that, I mean.” 

Lauren allows her fingertips to dance along her glass as she looks at Camila intently, gauging her reaction. She can tell there's something on the tip of Camila's tongue, but she's hesitating. 

“I think it's normal,” Lauren continues, hoping it will encourage her to say whatever she's holding back.   
“About three months ago you and I sat here cursing our friends and plotting a way to make them regret introducing us. Yet if they were here right now I'd be kissing their feet, thanking them. And that's why I wanted to come back and start over. Not really from scratch, but different.” 

“I agree with the first part but I'm not sure I follow,” Lauren admits with a lopsided expression. 

“What if instead of staging an entire relationship that night we let coming to this place count as our real first date?” Camila asks boldly. 

Lauren feels a combination of joy and panic at the suggestion. The joy comes from the feelings she has long come to terms with and the panic is because the proposition comes from someone already in a relationship. She absolutely refuses to be the other woman after Ally pulled that shit on her. 

“Camila, you have a girlfriend. I know she isn't around and your schedules don't overlap much, but that's no excuse to go behind her back and...”

“Lauren,” Camila cuts in, “I'm not going behind anyone's back. I'd never do that. We broke up this morning. That's who I was really talking to in my bedroom. I know it was stupid to lie and say it was Stella, but I was only beginning to process what I'd done in the moment and didn't want to talk about it right away.” 

“What if she continues to pursue you like last time?” 

“She won't. I waited until she delivered an ultimatum because I knew if she did, that would make it her idea, and the chance of retaliation is slimmer,” Camila confesses. 

“You really don't want to be with her, huh? Most people would kill to be in your position, you know...” 

“What position? You mean the one where I listen to Ariana drone on about herself several times a week in hopes that the once a year we have more than ten minutes for each other she'll jump me so we can have crazy hot sex? Or perhaps the one where I pathetically give up several weekends to fly out to her when she claims she'll be free but really only get to spend a few minutes with her discretely at my hotel before turning around and flying back feeling even less significant than when we were apart,” Camila drips sarcastically. 

“Well, when you describe it like that...”

“I was using her to get over you and despite how Ariana treated me not even she deserved that in the long run,” Camila replies honestly. “Dinah kept nagging me to take a chance with you and the longer I stayed with Ariana the more I realized that it would be worth the risk.”

Lauren's heart rate speeds up at the confession.

“Let me get this straight. You had one of the greatest pop stars of our generation pining after you and you still wanted to ask me out?” Lauren asks in awe.

“Let me put it this way. Ariana has a lot of money, but you can't buy a personality that shines as bright as yours,” Camila insists.


	28. Chapter 28

Fool Me  
Chapter 28

Lauren has a grin on her face the size of Jupiter when she walks into the apartment she shares with Normani who definitely doesn't miss her roommate's uncharacteristic glow as she joins her in their living room. When Lauren continues to smile like an idiot without explanation, Normani impatiently demands one.

“You know I'm going to ask so out with it.”

“You were right about Camila,” she replies simply.

“So you wised up and told her how you feel?” 

“Not exactly, but I didn't have to...she made the first move,” Lauren recalls with a sigh of contentment as her mind drifts back to the kiss Camila initiated before they parted ways after their spontaneous date.

“Does this mean things are over between her and Ariana? Don't get me wrong, Dinah and I are still Team Camren all the way, but ain't nobody coming out of it in one piece if a diva's been scorned,” Normani cautions. 

Lauren groans about hearing their ship name used again, but let's it slide as she addresses the question at hand. 

“Yeah, it's over,” she confirms. “I'm still a bit in shock though if I'm honest. Camila didn't seem that eager to be back with her ex but I never suspected it was because she developed feelings for me. I thought it would be crossing a line to admit I wanted more than a friendship from her yet she barely hesitated today when it came to her confession.” 

Normani smiles and nudges Lauren encouragingly.

“I think you could a learn a thing or two from this woman. Sounds like she knows what she wants and is ready to take risks for it.” 

Lauren nods lightly.

“Thank you for forcing me to meet her. Maybe it wasn't your worst idea after all.” 

 

Dinah about falls off her bed when Camila calls her and shares the news. 

“Yassss! My ship is sailing!” She exclaims proudly, although a bit too loudly as well because Camila has to pull her phone away from her ear for a moment. 

“I await the day when my excitement about my own love life matches even a fraction of yours,” Camila teases.

“Whatever. I'm just celebrating that I now get to tell you I told you so...”

“I can't believe I was so forward. Ending things with Ariana caused this huge wave of relief to wash over me and somehow translated into a confidence I didn't think I had. But Lauren was right there after it happened and I realized the last thing I wanted was to continue pretending. I've spent months pressuring myself to feel things that I don't or lying about things I do feel. Now it's all out there and I'm free.” 

“Perfect timing if you ask me. Carter might rent a beach house next time the weather's right. There's gonna be lots of room. Why not come and bring Lauren? Let your new free spirit roam outside the city limits to a land of bottomless Piña coladas and barely-there bathing suits,” Dinah proposes, adding a suggestive tone at the end for good measure. 

“Ugh, you know I can't. Getting one of the two bands that I'm going to be working with officially signed will be a really time consuming priority and taking off for an entire weeke-” Camila begins to argue, but Dinah interrupts.

“So bring a laptop. There will be WiFi. I know half that ish can be done anywhere,” Dinah challenges. 

“Maybe,” Camila settles, “but I'm not saying yes right now.” 

 

The week flies by and Camila regretfully doesn't find the time to take Lauren out again between her long work hours, although the slightly older woman gives no indication of holding it against her when they manage to text each other from time to time. Lauren leaves her messages detailing her strangest encounters with customers throughout the week to help lighten the mood as most of Camila's replies involve ranting about her experiences with the bands. She is not particularly thrilled about how careless Painted Turtles' drummer is with letting go of his sticks so they fly across the room unexpectedly or how Rust the Nail had pizza delivered in the middle of their first meeting with their temporary producer. It's difficult not to let the little things set her off when she's in a high stress position, but she somehow manages to avoid going bald. 

At the last minute, Camila enlists Normani's assistance in arranging a surprise breakfast for her and Lauren on Sunday morning at their apartment. Tyler is in on it, too, agreeing to take Normani out to brunch so she and Lauren can have the place to themselves for a while. Camila is just finishing up setting the table when a groggy Lauren walks into the living room, pajama-clad and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

“There you are. I thought you were gonna make me come wake you,” Camila greets cheerfully. 

Lauren blinks a couple times before looking over at the table, neatly set, and registering the smell of fresh breakfast wafting from the kitchen. 

“You broke into my apartment to cook for me?” Lauren accuses while trying to hold back a grin and failing. 

“Normani let me in, actually...and did most of the cooking,” she confesses. 

Lauren takes a seat at the table as Camila heads toward the kitchen to start bringing out their food. 

“I'm wondering why Normani is still volunteering to do things like this for us considering she knows how much I'm already into you,” Lauren ponders aloud as Camila returns to take her seat. 

“Already? But we've only been on one date,” Camila responds with faux innocence before a smirk begins to creep up on her face. 

“Sometimes that's all it takes to fall for someone,” Lauren replies without a single trace of humor in her tone as she nervously lifts her face to make eye contact with Camila after filling her plate. 

Camila gazes back with curiosity, quickly picking up on the sincerity of Lauren's statement. 

“You didn't have to fake it for very long, did you?” Camila asks gently after looking away and stabbing her fork into her scrambled eggs. 

Lauren shrugs as she reaches for her glass of apple juice. 

“Depends on your perspective, I guess. You spent two months acting like my girlfriend. I spent almost as long pretending I didn't really want to be yours.” 

They both chew their next few bites slowly, letting it all sink in. 

“I'm sorry,” Camila finally breaks the silence with an apology. 

“Why?” 

“Because we could have figured this out a lot sooner if my head wasn't stuck up my ass searching for a way to get over you when that's not what either of us wanted.”

“It's not like I was about to do anything about it. You're the first person that I've gotten close to in a long time. I hate when I see other people underestimate the value of a friendship and act like the friend zone is the worst thing that can happen to them,” Lauren reveals. 

“As much I agree, I am hoping you'll still give me a chance to be more than that for you,” Camila tells her with a hint of hesitance. 

“I'm more than willing to take that leap if you are,” Lauren agrees without missing a beat.


	29. Chapter 29

Fool Me  
Chapter 29

“Camz, I think we should take a break,” Lauren insists, nudging her girlfriend gently as they are sitting side-by-side, backs against the headboard of the beach house bed they're sharing for the long weekend, laptops perched on their legs. 

“Just give me like ten more minutes and we can go outside,” Camila responds without taking her eyes off the single cover artwork she's tweaking for Painted Turtles. 

“That's what you said an hour ago,” Lauren reminds her with a skeptical stare. 

Camila takes a deep breath as she saves her progress then closes her laptop. 

“You're right. I'm sorry. How about I make it up to you? For the rest of the day you have my undivided attention,” Camila promises before slipping out of bed and walking toward the dresser where her travel bag is resting on top. 

She is busy digging for her bikini bottoms when she notices Lauren exiting the room from the corner of her eye, causing her to pause the search and look up. Lauren is carrying both their laptops in her arms and this raises her suspicions. 

“Where are you going with those?”

“In case you're tempted later, be ready for some hide n seek,” Lauren replies mischievously, managing to leave the room before Camila can protest. 

Camila lets Lauren go, knowing she will probably end up thanking her. In the meantime she finds the other half of her bathing suit and finishes changing just before Lauren returns to their room. 

“On second thought, maybe we should stay inside,” Lauren suggests with a smirk after pausing in the doorway to admire her girlfriend's beach attire.

“Uh uh, nice try. You've been begging me to go out all morning and now my heart's set on it.”

“But I was so naive back then...”

“Like five minutes ago?” Camila responds with an eye roll while grabbing Lauren's backpack and walking it over to her, knowing it has her beach supplies inside. “I think we will both benefit from some Vitamin D.” 

“I'd prefer to OD on some Vitamin C,” Lauren offers smoothly before leaning forward to capture her girlfriend's lips, cutting off an audible groan from Camila following the joke. 

“You'll have to come outside if you want anymore of either one,” Camila announces after they pull apart and she steps around Lauren so she has a clear path out of the room. 

“I'll get dressed and meet you in a few,” Lauren agrees, unzipping the backpack Camila brought her to take out her swimwear and demonstrate she's prepared to go. 

After a couple hours out on the beach, including laying out in the sun, bodysurfing in the waves, and getting their butts kicked playing sand volleyball against Dinah and Carter, the foursome returns to their cabin together. Carter puts dinner on the grill as the others take seats around a small table that sits in the shade of the porch. 

“I am so out of shape,” Camila laments while rubbing one of her sore shoulders.

“I thought Lauren woulda worked you out enough by now,” Dinah teases. 

Lauren chuckles as she watches Camila give her best friend a death glare.

“Don't worry, babe. I love your body just the way it is,” Lauren reassures her, adding a wink for good measure. 

“I think she knows judging by the way you were staring at it all day,” Carter cuts in from his placement below them on the lawn. 

Soon after he feels a plastic fork hit the back of his head before it falls to the ground behind him.

“I heard no lies,” Dinah replies, defending her boyfriend. 

“I guess I'll be feeding someone's dinner to the squirrels tonight,” Carter threatens afterward in response to the attack. 

“That's all right. Camila will share hers,” Lauren states confidently. 

Camila shakes her head vigorously.

“All that exercise has given me the appetite of a baby elephant. If you tick off the chef, you're on your own.”

The banter between friends continues up until and through when they eat dinner together. Afterward they set up a movie in the living room, both couples claiming a couch for maximum cuddle action. Lauren notices Camila drifting off halfway through the movie, so she shakes her gently. 

“Let's get you to bed before I end up having to carry you,” Lauren insists.

Camila groans in return, her eyes remaining closed. 

“Come on, sleepyhead. If you don't get up I'm gonna take the bed all to myself tonight.”

Camila takes her time lifting her head from Lauren's shoulder and standing herself upright. 

Lauren stands beside her girlfriend and wraps an arm around her waist before they begin to walk out of the living room, supporting her frame in case she stumbles in her groggy state. 

Dinah throws some popcorn at them on the way out.

“Don't do anything I wouldn't do,” she teases with a wink.

Camila removes herself from Lauren's embrace once they enter their bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them. Before she can really register what is happening, Camila has Lauren backed up all the way to their bed and presses on her shoulders to ease her into a sitting position on the edge of it. She lifts Lauren's chin and bends down to give her a soft kiss on the lips before pulling away with a smirk. 

“I thought you were tired,” Lauren accuses curiously. 

Camila shakes her head before lifting her t-shirt over her head and reaching behind her back to untie her bikini top. 

“I was ready to get into bed, but not to sleep,” she explains with desire in her eyes.

Lauren stares up at her now-topless girlfriend, hardly believing her luck.

“Have I told you enough times today how much I appreciate your body?” 

“Yes, now quit telling me and come show me,” Camila demands as she strips off her last piece of clothing and eyes Lauren expectantly.

“Don't have to ask me twice.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Fool Me**

**Chapter 30**

Normani hears a loud banging on the front door of her apartment as she’s laying, relaxed in a bubble-filled bathtub.

“This place better be burning down!” She shouts at the mystery person who has disturbed her while stepping out of the tub and reaching for her bathrobe.

She scowls after opening the door and discovering her roommate on the other side, panting, and frantic.

“Thank God, Mani. I was gonna be so fucked if you weren’t home,” she manages after a deep breath before strutting around Normani and hurrying down the hall toward the bedroom she hasn’t slept in on a regular basis for at least six months.

Normani follows her with curiosity and watches as Lauren tears apart her closet.

“I almost forgot that you live here. I guess you did, too, considering most people don’t have to knock to get into the place where they pay rent,” she teases.

“I need to find it…I don’t have much time,” Lauren mumbles as she begins knocking down shoeboxes from the top shelf and tossing them onto the bed. She also sweeps the floor for loose shopping bags and tosses them beside the boxes before turning around to search through each one individually.

“What are you looking for anyway?”

“The ring. You got me so wasted the night that I bought it because I wouldn’t shut up about whether I would ever get up the nerve to ask Camz to marry me or if she would even want to take that step. I don’t have a clue where my drunk ass put it,” Lauren explains in frustration.

“I have it. You wanted it to be somewhere Camila would never look. It’s behind my fifth grade dance trophy,” Normani reminds her with a smirk.

Lauren tosses the bag she was looking through onto the floor and pushes past Normani to go into the other bedroom as quickly as possible. She locates the shelf full of her roommate’s childhood achievements and grabs the dance trophy to look for the ring behind it. She spots the box immediately and sighs in relief. Normani comes into her room and watches as Lauren replaces her trophy on the shelf and slips open the box to view the desired jewelry.

“So what’s the rush?”

Normani interrogates, joining Lauren as she sits down on the bed and continues starring at the ring she purchased weeks ago.

“Camila’s moving to Miami. Hype-R Records wants her to be the head of their marketing department at their studio down there. Dinah is at our place right now helping her cook us a special dinner so she can break the news about her promotion.”

“Dinah didn’t tell me any of this,” Normani replies with a pout.

“She barely had time to tell me. We just got off the phone like maybe five minutes before I got here which is why I didn’t have time to get my key.”

“Wow…this is a big step. Are you sure you want to move to a completely new city? I know you’ve decided she’s the one but this is a lot of adjustment all at once,” Normani reasons.

“Think about it, Mani. She has done the long distance thing before. It didn’t work. And I’ve lived long term with a woman I wasn’t engaged to before. Also a bust. This is our chance to correct the mistakes of past relationships and solidify a commitment that I’ve already made in my heart.”

Normani places a hand over Lauren’s hand that isn’t holding the ring and smiles.

“You will always have my support, Lauren. I’ll miss you, but you know the next vacation I take will be me flying out there to help plan the wedding.”

“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. She still hasn’t said yes,” Lauren points out with a look of worry crossing over her features.

Normani shoves her soon-to-be-ex-roommate playfully.

“Oh please. You’re practically married already. Now go get your woman!”

Lauren rolls her eyes as she slips the ring into her jacket pocket and stands up from the bed.

“I’ll drive slowly in case Camz burned part of dinner so they have time to hide the evidence.”

Normani chuckles.

“For your wedding gift, instead of a set of cookbooks, I’ll scrapbook a collection of Miami takeout menus.”

“So thoughtful,” Lauren kids as Normani walks her to the door and gives her a final wish of good luck.

+

Camila is organizing the table as Dinah brings out the dishes they cooked up in preparation of Lauren’s arrival.

“I made myself a plate to take home. I love ya girl but no way was I slavin just to feed you and lover girl,” Dinah announces after everything is in place.

“There’s still plenty of food. That’s fine. Thank you so much for doing this so last minute. I’ve barely had time to process the news, let alone how scared I am to tell Lauren. Uh…obviously she’ll be happy for me because she knows how hard I’ve worked for this but…Miami? What if she wants to stay here?”

Camila takes a seat at the table and rests her chin on her right hand which is supported by her elbow resting on the table.

“There are bookstores in Miami, right? Lauren can find another job but where is she gonna find another Camila Cabello?”

Camila smiles at her best friend’s wisdom.

“It’s still gonna suck being so far away from my best friend. I love you, Dinah,” Camila tells her genuinely and they both stand to embrace each other in a hug before a tap at the door breaks them up.

“That’s my cue. Good luck, Mila. If she tries to say she prefers to stay, don’t forget to show her a little something she’d be missin’” Dinah adds with a wink before letting herself out and greeting Lauren as she comes in.

+

“So what’s the special occasion?” Lauren asks while trying to sound as casual and oblivious as possible after they’ve sat down and started serving themselves.

Camila finishes chewing a bite of mashed potatoes and takes a sip of water while preparing to make her announcement.

“First off, I wanted to thank you for being so supportive and understanding while I’ve put in all the extra hours at work, because it would have been easy to walk away from us with my attention so split.”

“You’re worth it,” Lauren assures her, giving her the reassurance she needs to continue.

“And the good news – the reason we’re having dinner right now – is because it has finally paid off. They’re offering me a promotion!” Camila exclaims with a wide grin as she gauges Lauren’s reaction to the news.

“Oh my God! They did? Congratulations, babe!” Lauren replies with equal excitement.

“So what will you be doing?” Lauren continues inquisitively after they’ve stood to exchange a congratulatory peck on the lips and a hug then returned to their seats.

“I am going to be the Marketing Manager for their sister studio down in Miami, Florida,” Camila explains with slight hesitance as she gets to the last part of the sentence which announces a change of location.

“So will you be working remotely or are they planning to relocate you down there?” Lauren wonders aloud although she already knows the answer.

Camila takes a deep breath and smiles weakly.

“They’re asking me to relocate to Miami. I’ve accepted the offer already and I know I should have consulted with-” Camila begins before Lauren interrupts.

“I’m moving with you,” Lauren announces firmly, not wanting Camila to suffer through doubting it for another moment.

Camila’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Don’t you want to think about it?”

Lauren shakes her head.

“You didn’t hesitate when you accepted the position because you knew it’s what you wanted. The same goes for me, Camz. I know what I want. But there’s still one thing I was hoping you could clear up for me…” she trails off as she feels around in her pocket for the ring and brings it out slowly.

Rather than kneel down as per tradition, she stays seated as she sets the box down on the table and opens it slowly, gently to reveal the ring she had chosen.

“I don’t want to be just your girlfriend anymore. You’re it for me, Camz. So will you uh…will you tell me um…am I it for you, too?” Lauren asks nervously while picking up the box and lifting the ring so she can hold it out to Camila.

Camila wipes away the first tear that threatens to fall from her left eye and nods profusely before reaching out to accept the ring and allow Lauren to slip it onto the appropriate finger.

“Of the new titles I’m about to have, Mrs. Jauregui is the one I look forward to the most,” Camila whispers while looking down to admire her ring and letting the rest of her tears flow freely.

Lauren glows at the sight before her and as she wipes away her future wife’s tears she realizes how blessed they both were to be fooled by their best friends.

**AN: Thank you to everyone who read this fic from start to finish. It was fun while it lasted but it’s also a relief to be done.**


End file.
